Tottenham's Welsh international defender Gareth Bale has undergone knee surgery, which may mean he misses at least the start of pre-season training.
A scan of the 19-year-old's left knee revealed torn cartilage tissue, which had already forced him out of Wales's World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan.
The likely recovery period is about eight weeks.
Bale joined Tottenham from Southampton in May 2007 but his progress has been disrupted by a series of injuries.
In two years at the club, he has yet to play in a winning Spurs team in the Premier League, and this season he has fallen behind Benoit Assou-Ekotto in the pecking order.
606: DEBATEManager Harry Redknapp is expected to sell players in the summer to overhaul his squad, but Bale's injury means that if he were thought surplus to requirements, it could now be hard to sell him because of his enforced lay-off.
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