Lewis Ferguson injury timeline revealed after Bologna captain forced to miss battle of Serie A Scots

Scotland midfielder Lewis Ferguson is facing another period on the sidelines after being injured in the warm-up before Bologna's match against Napoli on Monday.

The fixture was billed as a battle of the Serie A Scots with Ferguson set to go up against his international team-mates Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour.

However, the Bologna captain was forced to withdraw from the starting line-up just minutes before kick-off after complaining of pain in his right thigh during his pre-match routines.

Bologna captain Lewis Ferguson was injured in the warm-up prior to Monday's Serie A match against Napoli. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The former Aberdeen and Hamilton man, who is the nephew of Rangers interim manager Barry Ferguson, was replaced in the starting XI by Michel Aebischer, the Switzerland international, with the match ending in a 1-1 draw.

Ferguson ruptured his cruciate ligament in April last year which saw him miss Euro 2024 and the Nations League campaign before making his comeback for Bologna in November.

He then suffered a hamstring injury in a Champions League match against Sporting Lisbon in January but returned in time to make his first Scotland appearance in a year in the Nations League play-off fixtures against Greece last month.

The 25-year-old is now facing another frustrating period on the sidelines after Bologna confirmed that their skipper will be out for three weeks with a thigh strain.

The club posted an update which read: "The tests that Lukasz Skorupski and Lewis Ferguson underwent revealed respectively: a low-grade lesion of the right adductor, and a low-grade lesion of the right rectus femoris. Recovery times for both are three weeks."

The timeline means Ferguson is likely to miss the next four matches including the Coppa Italia semi-final second leg against Empoli, with Bologna holding a 3-0 advantage from the first-leg. The final against either Inter Milan or AC Milan is due to take place on May 14.

There was also an injury scare for McTominay, who started for Napoli at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara before being forced off as he was replaced by countryman Gilmour with 20 minutes remaining.

Napoli assistant Cristian Stellini confirmed afterwards that the former Manchester United midfielder had taken a "knock to his thigh and his side", but there have been no further updates on the 28-year-old's condition.