Brentford frontman Scott Hogan is expected to miss the majority of the season after undergoing knee surgery.
The summer signing from Rochdale picked up the injury at the end of August and now might not appear again in 2014-15.
"Off to the hospital , get this op done and out of the way!!" Hogan wrote on Twitter earlier today.
Bees manager Mark Warburton insists that the club won't rush him back into the team.
"Hopefully, that time flies by for him," Warburton told London24. "He's a very talented player and hungry to play at the highest level and hopefully the rehabilitation will take over.
"We're not going to rush him back. He's a young player with a big future ahead of him."
Hogan's brief appearance against Rotherham United when he picked up the injury was his only league showing for the Bees since his summer switch.
