Caley Thistle midfielder Aaron Doran will miss the rest of the season after being forced to undergo a second knee operation in less than two years.
The news comes as another cruel blow for the Irishman, who was sidelined for 13 months after undergoing surgery on his left knee in July 2015.
Doran was in London yesterday for his latest operation, however the injury is not a recurrence of the microfracture in his left knee which kept him out for virtually all of last season, with the problem in his right knee this time around.
The 25-year-old will now miss Caley Jags’ remaining 11 matches this season, with manager Richie Foran hopeful of having Doran back for the start of pre-season training in the summer.
Foran said: “Aaron’s other knee has been giving him bother for a while, so he was down in London for his operation.
“Hopefully we will have him back in time for pre-season. It’s a big blow for Aaron but he will come back stronger this time.”
It has proven another frustrating campaign for Doran, with the former Blackburn Rovers player making just seven starts after making his comeback as a substitute in a 1-0 Betfred Cup defeat away to League 1 side Alloa Athletic in August.
Foran believes his fellow countryman, who is under contract at Caledonian Stadium until 2018, has suffered as a result of not being able to participate in pre-season, and he added: “Aaron has proven to be a quality player.
“Most managers after a game will ask how Aaron Doran is doing. They know he’s top quality.
“He lost a bit of explosive pace so we have been working hard, and he had been doing a bit of extra training to get that back.
“Aaron missed out on a pre-season last summer which was a big blow for him. We could tell he’d missed out over the summer. It’s crucial players get a good pre-season, especially the likes of Aaron who was out for a long time.
“We need to get Aaron back to his best and we will.”