Leinster have confirmed that it could be the start of the 2021 Six Nations before Jordan Larmour is ready to return.
Larmour suffered a dislocated shoulder in the province's last PRO14 game against Benetton nine days ago and he went under the knife last week to repair the damage.
The Blues say that the young Ireland full-back will be out for up to 16 weeks, which means he is looking at an end of January or start of February return in the new year.
Ireland's first game of the 2021 Six Nations is against Wales on February 7.
Andy Farrell's squad are preparing for the resumption of this year's championship, with games against Italy on Saturday and France on Saturday week to be played.
Better news for the province ahead of Friday's PRO14 clash with Zebre at the RDS is that Dave Kearney, who was spotted at Ireland training in midweek, has returned to full training after a hamstring injury.
Ciaran Frawley is also available after passing the return to play protocols after suffering a head injury in the season opener against the Dragons.
Dan Sheehan has also resumed full training after recovering from a fractured cheekbone, while Dan Leavy is still working towards his long-awaited return to action.
