STEVEN Rigg’s Barrow AFC loan spell looks certain to be cut short after suffering ankle ligament damage in yesterday’s 2-1 home victory over Woking.

The 23-year-old Carlisle United striker was stretchered off just minutes after arriving as an 80th-minute substitute, which meant his Bluebirds debut was abruptly halted.

The ligament damage was detected after Rigg’s injured ankle was x-rayed at hospital in Kendal and it is feared he will be sidelined for up to six weeks, with his Barrow loan deal running until January 2.

Due to the initial swelling on Rigg’s ankle the full extent of his injury is still not known. 

But he will hope to get a better idea of how serious the problem is after his ankle is assessed again today by Carlisle’s physio and Barrow’s head of sports therapy Dan Anderton.

Anderton said: “Riggy’s injured the lateral ligaments in his right ankle.

“It’s good news that there is no fracture. 

"It’s a very common injury for a footballer to have. We know a lot about it which is good news because we know the best ways to treat and rehab it.

“However, that doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s still an injury that puts players out for periods of time for up to six weeks.

“Riggy got his feet caught under someone else’s feet so I think the opposition player's body weight has applied the force from the inside to the outside, so he’s rolled his ankle towards the outside.

“It’s a frustrating one, it was fairly innocuous in getting his feet caught under someone else’s legs.”