Reading have revealed midfielder John Oster is to undergo surgery on his ankle injury.
Oster has been troubled by the problem ever since facing Everton back in August and, despite a couple of comebacks since, it has failed to clear up.
As a result, he will go under the surgeon's knife, most likely next Monday, two days after his 29th birthday. But it is unclear how long he will be out for.
Physio Jon Fearn told the Royals' official website: "We saw a specialist on Tuesday to discuss the problem.
"He agreed that we've done as much as we can in terms of conservative treatment.
"Now we'll look at surgery next Monday.
"How long he'll be out depends on what we find when we go in. He has an inflamed ankle, which is aggravated by some bone in the back of the ankle.
"We'll have that bone removed, and then allow the joint to heal through rest and recuperation."