Rob Gronkowski has undergone an operation on his forearm after re-fracturing it at the weekend.

The New England Patriots tight end had previously had the bone repaired in November, when he initially sustained the injury, before returning to the field for the final regular season game.

The 23-year-old headed to the locker room before the end of the first quarter in the Patriots' 41-28 over the Houston Texans in the playoffs on Sunday after falling heavily on his left forearm.

Head coach Bill Belichick confirmed that his player had surgery yesterday, and has said that he would not have allowed Gronkowski to play if he had not been cleared by medical staff ahead of the game.

Gronkowski scored 11 touchdowns in the 11 games he was able to play in during the regular season.