Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford may not play until the end of October after deciding to have surgery on a shoulder injury.
Rashford, 23, had a scan on Tuesday after being hampered by the problem in the latter half of the 2020-21 season.
It was decided the damage was so severe that rest alone would not repair it and United hoped the England striker could have the operation immediately.
However, the surgeon is not available until the end of July.
It is anticipated Rashford will be out for 12 weeks, which will be a blow to United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s plans for the start of the new campaign.
The news emerged on the day Rashford’s England team-mate Jadon Sancho had a medical as his £73m move to United from Borussia Dortmund edged closer.
Rashford scored 11 goals in 37 Premier League appearances last season but did not make a significant impact for England at Euro 2020.
He made five appearances for his country in the tournament but was only on the pitch for a total of 84 minutes then missed a penalty in the shootout as Italy beat Gareth Southgate’s side on penalties in the final.
