Cardiff City's spectacular start to life under new manager Mick McCarthy continued on Tuesday as they secured an impressive 4-0 victory over Derby County.

The Bluebirds extended their unbeaten run in the Championship to 10 games thanks to a brace from Leandro Bacuna as well as goals from Kieffer Moore and Will Vaulks.

Currently eighth in the second-tier standings, Cardiff will be looking to move back into the play-off places tomorrow when they head to the John Smith's Stadium to face Huddersfield Town.

However, despite the feel-good factor returning to the Cardiff City Stadium in recent weeks, the Bluebirds have been dealt a devastating blow ahead of their clash with the Terriers.

After being stretchered off during his side's showdown with Derby, defender Joe Bennett is now set to miss the rest of the season due to a knee injury.

As confirmed by the club's Twitter account, the 30-year-old has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his right knee and has been now been referred to a specialist for treatment.

An ever-present for Cardiff this season, the 30-year-old has started 28 of the club's 34 league fixtures.

GIVEMESPORT's Joshua Cole says...

This is unquestionably a massive setback for the Bluebirds who would have been relying on Bennett to play a key role in their push for promotion this season.

A stand-out performer since the arrival of McCarthy, the defender has averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.78 this season and produced particularly impressive displays against Rotherham United and Coventry City where he recorded ratings of 7.25 and 7.19 respectively.

As well as making 1.4 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per game during the current campaign, Bennett has also completed 75.8% of his passes.

With his current deal at the club set to expire in June, it will be intriguing to see whether the defender is rewarded a new contract by Cardiff.

Whereas there is no guarantee that Bennett will be able to replicate the form that he has illustrated in recent months once he returns to full fitness, the Bluebirds ought to consider extending his stay in Wales regardless of what division they find themselves in next season.