Aaron McCarey facing lengthy stint on the sidelines at Wolves

The Ireland Under-21 international underwent surgery on a bulging disc in his back yesterday in London and the second-choice keeper will be sidelined into the new year.

Head coach Kenny Jackett said: "He has a disc in his back that's basically bulging and needed correction through surgery.

"It's quite serious. I would estimate two to three months.

"Phil Hayward (head of medical department) went down there with him yesterday."

McCarey's injury potentially leaves the untried Jon Flatt as the only senior goalkeeping cover to first-choice shot-stopper Carl Ikeme.

Wolves could sign goalkeeping cover in the loan window, which is open until the third Thursday in November.

But after exploring different alternatives including injections and lightening McCarey's training load, it was decided surgery was the best route.

"It's something that's been ongoing – he's felt it pretty much all season," said Jackett.

"We modified his training – we tried to ease it down a little bit.

"He had a series of injections to try to settle it down and then it was decided just before last Saturday's game that we were going to pull him out and take him to a specialist because it wasn't improving.

"The relevant information from the medical people was if there wasn't enough improvement in trying to manage it for the last two months then it needed surgery.

"Surgery is a last resort but that's been the process so far this season."

Jackett could tell in McCarey's performances how the 22-year-old has been restricted.

"If I look at his performance in the Northampton game, he didn't look the same and he hasn't quite looked right in the Under-21s games he's played in," he added.

"And he's a different lad from this time last year where he was saving penalties against Walsall,.

"So it's the right thing, he'll be better for it."