Keven Schlotterbeck suffered a very nasty looking injury during the early stages of Southampton's narrow 1-0 defeat to Preston North End.
Indeed, the German would go down with a dislocated shoulder issue, with a stretcher even being prepared for the injury-stricken number 13.
He would just about to manage to hobble off, arm-in-arm with the Saints' medical staff, with a wait now to see how long the unfortunate defender will be out for.
Up to this point, he'd been loving life in his new Championship surroundings, with two goals next to his name, and a forceful 4.7 duels won on average in the bruising division.
He will be set for a stay in the treatment room as he recovers from his Deepdale knock, meaning the Saints could attempt to pull off an ambitious January move to bolster their options at the back.
The ambitious move the Saints could try to reignite
Henrik Falchener's name was on the Saints' shopping list in the summer.
It went as far as an £8m bid apparently being rejected by Viking for his services, with Schlotterbeck eventually being won, instead, for a more modest £3m fee from Augsburg.
Could Southampton be tempted to go back in for Falchener, with the news that the 29-year-old will now be out of action for a period of time?
It remains to be seen, as it would be very ambitious of Eckert and Co. to drop a sizeable £8m on a mid-season recruit.
His stock has only gone up since the Saints' initial interest, too, with the Norwegian colossus now a Champions League goalscorer for Viking, as his Eliteserien employers beat Sabah 4-1 earlier in the month in Europe's elite competition.
Winning an imposing 6.3 duels on average this season playing in the Norwegian top-flight, as well, the Scandinavian behemoth might be biding his time for a Premier League move, over relocating to the Championship.
Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg has speculated that he'd been eyed up by Premier League clubs, alongside Bundesliga and Serie A suitors.
It would be quite the statement signing if the Saints' transfer interest were to be reignited, with Falchener and Schlotterbeck a hell of a potential centre-back duo for the Championship.
If this doesn't end up being rekindled, there are some in-house options who could do a job to make the bitter pill of Schlotterbeck being injured easier to swallow.
There are also in-house options
Zach Abbott proved, when he came on against Preston in the towering defender's place, that he can do a competent job as his stand-in if needed.
He would win 100% of his duels as he didn't fold under the physical approach from the hosts, while also amassing 66 accurate passes, playing out from the back.
The Nottingham Forest loanee is deserving of a chance in the first-team picture, if Schlotterbeck remains out for some time, with Abbott stating, after the Preston defeat, that he wants to impress moving forward, having had to be very patient for his moment in the spotlight at Deepdale.
He will be the fix for the time being, that's for sure, but it will be interesting to see if Forest do recall the young centre-back when the mid-season window opens, as it has been reported that they're not over-the-moon about his lack of minutes and will be reassessing his deal in January.
If he ended up being sent back, a new centre-back would surely arrive through the door, maybe to complement a returning Schlotterbeck, who will - hopefully - be fit when the New Year rolls around.
It's fascinating to work out how seriously the Saints will treat the January window, as it's a perfect chance to make some season-changing signings to help the promotion push.
Falchener's signature does feel slightly out of their reach, but it can't be completely ruled out, with the promotion hopefuls also presumably looking to bolster their striker options.
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