Dan Leavy will return stronger than ever after his latest injury setback, according to Leinster boss Leo Cullen.
The Ireland flanker was ruled out of action for the rest of the season by the Guinness Pro14 champions on Monday following surgery on a knee cartilage injury.
The 26-year-old back row, capped 11 times for Ireland, was sidelined for a year and a half following a serious knee injury in the Champions Cup in March 2019.
Leavy returned to play in October and made nine appearance for the province.
"Dan, as we all know, had a big injury in that Ulster quarter-final and has done incredibly well to get back, it’s another setback," said Cullen ahead of Leinster's game against Dragons tomorrow evening in Rodney Parade.
"I don’t believe this procedure will be as significant in terms of making a return from that.
"I think he will take a lot of confidence from the fact that he got back playing.
"He understands where he got to. I do envisage him coming back stronger next time. I know
"Dan is a very resilient character, very strong mentally and we’ll put all the necessary supports in place here for him to ensure that he does get back because he’s such a key figure in the group.
"Even in the last game he played, he delivered a big performance so he’s hugely important for us.
"We see him as being a hugely important member of our group moving forward as well.
"The injuries in rugby, it's part and parcel of the job spec in many ways, [as is] trying to be able to cope with the setbacks that do come along the way in most players' careers."
Leinster top Conference A on 50 points after 11 rounds.
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