BRISBANE Roar have signed Melbourne-born Greek international Avraam Papadopoulos to cover the loss of Daniel Bowles, who will sidelined for at least 10 months with a serious knee injury.

Papadopoulos, 32, has an injury-replacement deal with the Roar until the end of the season and will be part of Brisbane’s A-League and AFC Champions League squads.

Despite representing Greece, the central defender has an Australian passport and is therefore not counted as a visa player.

His previous clubs include Olympiacos (Greece), Trabzonspor (Turkey), Shanghai Shenhua (China) and Jubilo Iwata (Japan).

The worst fears of the Roar and Bowles were realised when scan results confirmed the 25-year-old defender had ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and also damaged surrounding cartilage.

media_camera Scans revealed Daniel Bowles ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament. Picture: Peter Wallis

Bowles hurt his knee in the dying stages of the Roar’s 2-2 draw with Melbourne City last Saturday night making a tackle that led to him being booked.

He somehow managed to finish the game but needed a wheelchair on his return to Brisbane on Sunday afternoon.

Bowles will soon have surgery and isn’t expected to return to action until next year.

Despite spending most of this season on the bench, Bowles’s ability to play anywhere in the backline made him extremely value, particularly with the Roar juggling A-League and AFC Champions League commitments.

While the news was bad for Bowles, Roar right fullback Jack Hingert had a better outcome with the scans on the ankle he injured in Brisbane’s 2-0 Champions League playoff win over Shanghai Shenhua last Wednesday.

While Hingert is unlikely to be fit for the Roar’s A-League clash in Perth on Saturday against the Glory, and their Champions League Group E game against Thai champions Muangthong United next Tuesday at Suncorp Stadium, Hingert could be back in action in a fortnight’s time.