Ipswich Town will be without Kane Vincent-Young for 12 weeks after the defender underwent a second groin operation.
Manager Paul Lambert revealed after Tuesday night's 0-0 draw with Wycombe that the former Colchester man was set for 'months' on the sidelines, having suffered a new injury to the area previously operated on at the start of November.
He went under the knife again on Tuesday to repair an injury to his adductor tendons, with the surgery said to be a success, but he is still set to be on the sidelines until the end of February.
"These injuries have required very careful management," Town physio Matt Byard said.
"They involve two separate areas, two separate problems to resolve and both issues have resulted in surgery.
"We used Dr Muschaweck in Doha, a leading specialist in hernia repair, and for the second operation Mr Schilders in London who is an expert on adductor repair.
"The injuries have required different treatment speciality, hence the different surgeons and should provide the best long-term outcome for Kane.
"The operation on Tuesday went very well and we are looking at a recovery period of about 10 weeks before Kane will be able to start first-team training and you are looking at another two weeks or so from there."
In Vincent-Young's absence, defender Janoi Donacien has enjoyed a five-game run in the first-team and has performed well for Lambert's side.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here