Sunderland's Jordan Willis could miss the whole of next season after suffering complications following patella tendon surgery.
The centre-back ruptured his tendon just seven minutes into the Black Cats' defeat at Shrewsbury Town in February, and was ruled out for the remainder of the campaign.
But the club has confirmed that 'additional complications' following the surgery have meant the 26-year-old needing to go back under the knife today, and he is expected to be out of action for between nine and 12 months.
That would mean that he would be missing until the end of January at the earliest, and possibly until next April.
And if he is at the longer end of that timescale, he would been missing for more than a year which would effectively make next season a write-off for him.
Willis' contract was due to expire this summer, but the club has said it it is committed to supporting him throughout his rehabilitation, and has revealed that his deal has been extended until the next of next season.
Sunderland head coach Lee Johnson said: "First and foremost, we are here for Jordan on a human level – if he needs to reach out to any one of us, we will help him as much as we possibly can.
"On a professional level, we are gutted because of what a good player he is and what he brings to the squad – on and off the pitch – in terms of personality and performance.
"We will support him in any way we can to get him back to his pomp as soon as possible."
Willis signed for Sunderland in the summer of 2019 after turning down a new contract at Coventry City.
He has been a regular at the heart of defence since he arrived, making 60 appearances in all competitions for the club and scoring two goals.
