Bristol Rovers utility man Harry Anderson is set to be sidelined for four weeks, with groin surgery scheduled to take place on Friday morning.
The 26-year-old, predominantly a winger but a versatile option for manager Joey Barton in a number of positions, has endured a stop-start season with injury niggles that he has been unable to shake off, and Rovers hope the operation will get to the bottom of the issue once and for all.
Anderson has played 22 times in League One for the Gas this season and he has been a dependable player in a variety of roles, so Barton is disappointed to lose him for the games ahead.
"We just had a little setback with Harry Anderson and it hasn’t settled," Barton revealed at Thursday's press conference before Saturday's League One clash with Barnsley at the Mem.
"He’s going to require a little bit of surgery, which will take him out for four weeks or something like that. It is a bit of a blow for H, he’s had a bit of a stop-start season. It’s his groin.
"I don’t know if he’s got a hernia rumbling on. He’s come back to training and he is not quite moving right. He’s seen the specialist today Thursday and they say they are going to operate in the morning to get him back with games to spare.
"It’s a nightmare for H, he’s had lots of setbacks with it, but unfortunately, sometimes you have got to go under the surgeon’s knife and that is the only way to resolve an issue to get you back near 100 per cent."
Anderson missed seven games in the lead-up to Christmas with a groin injury sustained at Sheffield Wednesday and he had a recurrence that forced him out of two games in January after briefly returning.
The former Lincoln City and Peterborough United wide man has been back in mix for Rovers in recent weeks, but this latest setback comes at an awkward time, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season.
Barton confirmed he wants to keep Anderson at the Mem for next season and talks have taken place, but the manager admits the player's injuries have to be taken into account when the club makes a decision.
"I really like Harry, I think he is a great team man," Batton added. "We had a conversation with him in and around Christmas and we didn’t manage to get the signature on the contract, and then subsequently he has had a couple of injuries.
"We are still speaking and talking to him and, for me as a manager, I am really keen to keep Harry with the group and part of the squad, but that will depend on how fit he can stay and how long he is going to be on the treatment table.
"He has had a bit of a disrupted season and from Harry’s perspective, his missus is pregnant and he’s wanting a bit of stability, but obviously, from the club’s perspective, we can’t sign people who are injured and keep getting injured.
"There is a bit of a Mexican standoff at the minute. We are really keen on keeping Harry as part of the group, we think he has got lots still to offer and we are just working through that to see how it pans out in the next few weeks."
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