TREVOR CLARKE IS unlikely to spend more than six weeks on the sidelines, despite concerns that the left-back suffered a long-term injury earlier this week.

On Monday, League One side Rotherham United announced the signing of Clarke from Shamrock Rovers on a three-year deal.

Shortly after the move was confirmed, it emerged that the 21-year-old had been stretchered off during a game for Rotherham United’s U23s earlier that day.

There were initial fears that Clarke had suffered a recurrence of the anterior cruciate knee ligament injury that ruled him out for the majority of the 2018 SSE Airtricity League season.

However, the Dubliner can now breathe a sigh of relief after learning that he should return to full fitness much quicker than was anticipated at first. 

“He had a serious knee injury before so I think his body went into a bit of shock,” Rotherham United manager Paul Warne explained in a BBC interview.

“Understandably he feared the worst, but by the scans, he hasn’t done any cruciate damage. It looks — worst case — that he’s going to be out for five or six weeks, but hopefully that shouldn’t be the case.”

Clarke, who was on the books at Middlesbrough as a teenager, made 103 appearances for Shamrock Rovers after joining the club in 2015. He was named PFAI Young Player of the Year in 2017 and was recently involved with the Republic of Ireland U21 squad.

Speaking to Rotherham United’s website this morning, he said of his latest injury: “When I came out of the tackle I was thinking the worst because I’d had an injury before, but it’s not as bad as we thought. I won’t be out for too long so I’m buzzing with that.”

Having been relegated from the Championship last season, Rotherham begin life back in League One with a trip to AFC Wimbledon on Saturday.