Republic of Ireland international Jack Byrne is set to be out for three months due to surgery on a persistent back injury.
The midfielder has had the injury since last season when with Shamrock Rovers and the decision was taken to cure the problem.
In a statement, his club APOEL said the injured disc requires surgery.
Byrne has had a slow start to his career in Cyprus and has had limited game time.
He will now miss the rest of the Cypriot season and Ireland's opening World Cup qualifiers with Serbia and Luxembourg.
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