Topic went down inside the Oxford United penalty area after chasing a ball in behind in the final seconds of the first half before limping off during the half-time interval. Subsequent scans have confirmed initial fears of an extensive knee injury.
The midfielder becomes the second player in a month to sustain an ACL injury after Ante Crnac at Derby County last month. An extended period on the sidelines now awaits him after a summer transfer to City.
Canaries boss Philippe Clement confirmed the latest injury blow at his pre-match press conference ahead of their tussle with QPR at Carrow Road.
“It’s really bad news. It’s an ACL. So he’s going to be out for the rest of the season. He’s going to get surgery as fast as possible,” he confirmed at their Colney training base.
“It’s very bad news for the team, for him, for the club, for everybody. I spoke with the players around that also this morning, when I could give the message to them. First, it’s important now, Mirko is somebody, and we have quite a lot, who came in a few months ago and are just here in the area.
“They come away from their families. You come into a new family with a new team, a dressing room, new guys. You make friendships. You do things outside of football and that falls away now for him.
“It will be rehab alone or maybe for the moment with a few other guys. But I hope as fast as possible alone or almost alone, maybe with Ante (Crnac) also, who has a big injury. But it’s important now that all teams stay connected with the guys also and that we stay one team together also in the difficult moments.”
Clement isn’t set to be boosted by the return of any of his injured cohort for the QPR game, although Lucien Mahovo has begun training again. The focus now is on finding solutions on the pitch and ensuring that Topic is kept close to his colleagues ahead of a long road to recovery.
“If there’s something to do with the team, I want them there. That’s why I also spoke with the players. I want the other guys to also do things with them outside of football,” said Clement.
Mirko Topic injured his knee trying to latch onto a through ball in Tuesday’s draw with Oxford. (Image: Daniel Hambury/Focus Images Ltd)
“I mean the right things, not to go to pubs or something, to be very clear. But that they have a social life also outside. Otherwise, it’s very lonely.
“I try to look at everything always out of the half-full glass. If you start thinking about that and then you can think about all the problems and all the bad things that happen, I always try to find solutions.
“My focus is there and to control the things that you can control. This is something we cannot control anymore. It’s now putting focus in all the other players who are fit.”