Clare are hopeful that Dermot Coughlan will be back for the Championship after the wing-forward underwent surgery on a broken ankle on Monday.
Coughlan picked up a serious injury in the first minute of his county’s 2-10 to 1-13 league draw with Armagh at Páirc Esler on Sunday.
Clare manager Colm Collins revealed that Coughlan will sit out the rest of the Banner’s league campaign but is optimistic about his chances of being involved in the summer.
"We wish him well and hope he can make it back for the summer. He's a very promising player," Collins told the Irish Independent.
The Banner boss was critical of the playing surface at the Newry venue and he believes that it played a part in the nature of Coughlan’s injury.
Collins claimed that the playing surface was too hard for football and that there should have been a proper pre-match test on the pitch to decide if it was fit for purpose.
"There is no way you could have driven anything through that ground without a point," he said. "There should be some test, similar to horse racing."
