Sunderland defender Paul McShane will be out for at least three months after being told he needs knee surgery.
The Republic of Ireland international sustained the injury shortly after scoring in a 4-0 friendly win at Darlington on Thursday night.
He did not travel with the rest of the first-team squad on their pre-season trip to Portugal.
Tests have now shown McShane needs to have an operation, ruling him out of the start of the Premier League season.
Manager Steve Bruce told the club's official website: "This news is exactly what we didn't want and now we will be without Paul for a while."
But goalkeeper Marton Fulop returned to training after overcoming an Achilles injury.
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