The ex-Swansea City man will miss the remainder of the season when he undergoes surgery but is hoping to make a big impact when he returns after being plagued by the problem

Liverpool midfielder Joe Allen has confirmed that he will be sidelined for three months when he undergoes shoulder surgery.

The 22-year-old arrived from Swansea City last summer for £15 million, but has revealed much of his debut season at Anfield has been spent battling a shoulder problem.

He told Sky Sports News: “It requires another operation which is always a bitter blow, but these things happen in football unfortunately and it’ll keep me out for around three months when I do get the operation done.”

He also stated he is unsure of a possible date for the surgery, adding: “I’m not sure to be honest, that’s something that’s being decided. I’ll have to wait and see what comes of it.

“I’m not looking to use it as an excuse. It has been something that’s deteriorated recently, and it has got to the stage unfortunately where an operation is all that can sort of resolve it.

“I’m looking forward to getting it done, get that behind me and moving on from there really.”

And while he admits playing with an injury is not ideal, he believes footballers carry a host of niggles during a campaign

He continued: “Yeah it’s not an ideal situation but like I say, there are players carrying injuries throughout a season, that’s part and parcel of the game I think and you come to expect it to a degree.”