Luke Varney is expected to be sidelined for a minimum of six months after rupturing his Achilles tendon in Saturday’s 1-1 home draw with Norwich City in the first leg of the Championship play-off semi-finals.

The 32-year-old forward suffered the unfortunate injury pushing off into a sprint with no-one around him. He was stretchered off half an hour into the game, spent the weekend in an Ipswich hospital before being transferred to London for surgery.

The hard-working front man, out of contract in the summer, has produced some impressive displays during his time on loan from Blackburn Rovers.

“Luke had the operation yesterday afternoon and it went fine,” Town physio Matt Byard told the club’s official website.

“He has ruptured his Achilles and, with an injury like that, you are looking at a minimum of six months recovery time.”

Town boss Mick McCarthy added: “It’s a massive disappointment for us but more importantly for Luke. He’s made a great impression here and he’s a top lad.”

Noel Hunt, who has just returned from a lengthy injury himself, was one of a number of Town players who visited Luke on the Sunday, the striker spending three hours with the former Crewe player.