Joey Carbery is set for another spell on the sidelines as he undergoes surgery on a fractured elbow on Thursday.
The Munster and Ireland out-half picked up the injury late in the province's remarkable 35-14 win over Wasps on Sunday afternoon.
Carbery kicked 15 points as the red province romped to a bonus point victory in Coventry despite fielding five debutants in a squad missing 34 players due to injury and Covid.
He stayed down following a bruising late hit from Wasps prop Mark Donnelly and was helped from the field with his elbow in a makeshift sling made from his jersey.
Munster haven't put a timeline on Carbery's recovery but, with Jonathan Sexton also out of action until the new year, Ireland boss Andy Farrell has another worry ahead of the Six Nations.
Luckless Carbery only returned to action earlier this year following a 13-month spell on the sidelines due to ankle and wrist surgery.
The 26-year-old has yet to enjoy an injury-free year since breaking through at Leinster in 2016, having made the move to Limerick in 2018 in search of greater opportunity.
The Athy native, who came through the ranks with Blackrock College, returned to the international fold during the November internationals.
New Zealand-born Carbery scored three vital penalties from the bench in the 29-20 win over the All Blacks, Ireland's third win in five attempts against the world's most feared side.
And he picked up his 27th cap as a starter in the 53-7 hammering of Argentina, his 18 points from the boot earning him the player of the match award.
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