Norwich City manager Dean Smith has confirmed that summer signing Isaac Hayden is set to miss the start of the 2022/23 campaign.
Hayden has undergone surgery on his knee and will not be available for the Canaries' upcoming clash with Cardiff City in the Championship.
Signed on an initial loan deal from Newcastle United last month, the midfielder would have been hoping to build up his fitness during pre-season.
However, Hayden did not feature in either of the club's opening two friendlies and was unable to participate in Norwich's training camp in Germany last week due to this injury.
With Norwich unable to turn to the 27-year-old for inspiration at the start of the new term, they will be hoping that the likes of Kenny McLean, Kieran Dowell and Pierre Lees-Melou will be able to deliver the goods in the second-tier.
Making reference to Hayden, Smith has revealed that the former Arsenal man had to undergo surgery after seeing a specialist earlier this week.
Speaking to the Eastern Daily Press about the midfielder, Smith said: "Isaac went to see a specialist yesterday.
"His knee had been swelling up, which I mentioned at the weekend.
"They flushed it out and I don't expect to see him before the early part of the season.
"The consultant was really happy with what he did and that will be good news for us.
"He had a week's really good training and for some reason then got swelling on his knee, so that has been flushed out.
"Just a minor operation."
The Verdict
This is a significant blow for Norwich as they would have been hoping to call upon Hayden's services in the opening weeks of the season.
During his previous spell at this level with Newcastle, the midfielder demonstrated that he is more than capable of delivering the goods on a consistent basis as he averaged a WhoScored match rating of 7.28 in the 2016/17 season.
Set to miss the remainder of pre-season, it may take Hayden some time to get back up to speed as he has not made a competitive appearance since December 2021.
For Norwich's sake, they will be hoping that Hayden is able to maintain his fitness when he recovers from this issue as there is a chance that the midfielder could emerge as a key player for the club.