Preston North End striker Connor Wickham is set for surgery on his injured hamstring, head coach Frankie McAvoy has revealed.

And the 28-year-old could very well have played his last game for the club after only signing a short-term contract until January 2022.

After training with the Lilywhites for multiple weeks, the ex-Crystal Palace forward penned a deal and made his Championship debut for the club off the bench against West Bromwich Albion.

Wickham was then thrown in from the start a few days later against Cheltenham Town in the Carabao Cup but after just a few minutes he pulled up clutching his hamstring and limped down the tunnel after just seven minutes.

Following a delayed wait to see a specialist to discover the extent of the issue, it's now been confirmed by McAvoy that Wickham does need to go under the knife to correct the issue, although it's unclear how long he will be out of action for.

The Verdict

Wickham will have been looking to put his past injury struggles behind him but he's set to go through another tough time again.

Ever since he joined Crystal Palace six years ago it's been a bit of a struggle for Wickham to get fit and he's had a bad knee injury in that time as well, but there was hope for all that he could stay healthy for a few months and find the back of the net.

That won't be happening though and it sounds like it's a hamstring tear he has suffered, which will keep him on the sidelines for several months.

It does look like Wickham's time at PNE is over before it really begun and there will be a lot of sympathy heading his way because of his latest setback.