Bullard's cruel injury setback: Hull ace suffers knee ligament damage

Injury-prone Jimmy Bullard faces another lengthy spell on the sidelines after he sustained suspected medial ligament damage in his left knee during Hull City's 3-0 defeat at Aston Villa on Saturday. The Hull midfielder went off in tears after a clumsy challenge by James Milner left him in a heap in the 18th minute at Villa Park. Cruel blow: A tearful Jimmy Bullard (centre) is helped off the pitch The record £5m signing only returned to action in October after an eight-month lay-off, although the latest problem is in his left knee and not the right one which has required two major operations during his career.   Hull assistant boss Brian Horton said: 'It is too early to say how bad the injury is. We will probably have it scanned and just hope there is nothing seriously wrong.   'You don't want to see that sort of thing happen because he has come back and been playing brilliantly. He has been such an influence and just fell awkwardly.'  Explore more:People:Jimmy Bullard, James Milner