Daniel Sturridge is set to miss around four months of action following his recent hip surgery.
The Liverpool striker, 25, went under the knife of world-renowned surgeon Dr Bryan T Kelly on Tuesday to address his troublesome hip problem which has kept him sidelined since early April.
A report in the Liverpool Echo suggests that England international Sturridge will miss the start of the 2015/16 Premier League season.
Sturridge will not return to training until early September but the Anfield club are confident Dr Kelly has attended to the issue which may have been the cause his ongoing thigh and calf injuries which have restricted him to just 12 league appearances this term.