Tottenham Hotspur and Wales defender Ben Davies will miss two Euro 2020 qualifiers because of a hernia operation.
The 26-year-old left-back, who is in Madrid preparing for the upcoming Champions League final against Liverpool, has had the pain all season and requires surgery to make a full recovery.
Davies, has played 44 times for his country since his debut in 2012.
The left-back hopes that he will be included in the Champions League final against Liverpool, but the hernia procedure’s six-week rehabilitation period means he needs to have the operation next week, ruling him out of the Euro 2020 qualifier games against Croatia and Hungary.
They face Croatia in Osijek on 8 June and Hungary in Budapest on 11 June.
In his absence, Davies hopes Wales can build on their opening qualifying win over Slovakia when they travel to Croatia and Hungary.
Davies told BBC Sport Wales:
“These are massive games. That first win was huge and the way the group’s gone so far, if we can pick up one win, we’re putting ourselves in a great position.
Two tough games away – three or four points will stand us in good stead to kick on for the last few.”
Davies was advised to have the surgery done and if he carried on playing with hernia problem it may have hampered his chances of playing in next year’s European Championships.