Walsall boss Mat Sadler has confirmed that Josh Gordon will miss the next four months of action after he underwent surgery on his hamstring earlier this week.
"He had a scan on it which revealed how bad it was. He had surgery on that which is a big blow for us but we just wish him well in his recovery."
29-year-old Gordon, who has been one of the Saddlers' star performers so far this season, was forced off during the recent win over Cheltenham Town.
Originally expected to miss just a few weeks of action, Gordon suffered a recent setback in training and, after visiting a specialist, has undergone surgery meaning he'll now be out for an extended time
Speaking to George Bennett of the Express & Star, Sadler confirmed: "He had surgery on his hamstring so he'll be out for the next four months.
"We'll miss him for a similar time frame to Priestley unfortunately. It was a lot worse than we thought it was.
"He had a scan on it which revealed how bad it was. He had surgery on that which is a big blow for us but we just wish him well in his recovery."