Aston Villa defender Wilfred Bouma is set to undergo further ankle surgery which will rule him out for the season.
The 30-year-old Dutch left-back, who dislocated his ankle in the Intertoto Cup against Odense in July, had looked on course to return this season.
But Bouma faces another spell out after fragments of bone broke off his ankle.
"He may need a bit of keyhole surgery. If he does that might prevent him from coming back this season," said Villa boss Martin O'Neill.
O'Neill is already resigned to losing captain Martin Laursen for the rest of the campaign with the knee problem which has sidelined him since early January.
And the Irishman confirmed the extent of Bouma's latest problem.
"There have been some floating particles in the ankle that might have been there for some time or might have broken off in his rehab," said O'Neill.
"We will know better about that by the middle of next week but I think the idea is that it is best to get the surgery done now."
O'Neill has had to improvise on the left flank this season while Bouma has been sidelined.
The Villa boss signed a recognised left-back Nicky Shorey from Reading for £5m in August but the England international has failed to impress.
In the absence of Bouma, the Villa manager has preferred to play right-back Luke Young on the opposite flank while pushing midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker or centre-back Carlos Cuellar to cover.
But Shorey has earned a recall for Villa's last two matches against Manchester United and Everton and may now be given an extended run in the first team.
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