Leinster and Ireland have been dealt a blow ahead of rugby's restart as James Ryan has been ruled out for three months.
The province today confirmed that lock suffered a shoulder injury in training and will be out of action for almost three months after undergoing a procedure.
The 24-year-old will sit out the Pro14 return, which begins with an interpro derby against Munster on August 22, as well as next month's Champions Cup clash against Saracens.
"Ryan suffered a shoulder injury in training before the recent break and had a procedure to address the issue," the Pro14 champions said.
"He will be out of action for up to 10-12 weeks."
Andy Farrell will now likely be planning without one of his key men for Ireland's revised Six Nations clashes against Italy and France, while it's expected Ryan will also miss the subsequent November internationals.
In other injury news, Adam Byrne also faces up to three months on the mend after suffering a hamstring injury.
James Lowe is back in full training after a self isolation period following his return from New Zealand, while Dan Leavy is continuing light training after suffering a major knee ligament injury.
