The former Swansea City midfielder underwent an operation on Thursday to correct a long-standing shoulder problem and his club confirm that the procedure went smoothly

Liverpool have confirmed that Joe Allen’s shoulder surgery has gone according to plan and that he should return to full fitness during the summer’s pre-season training.

The Wales international had been struggling with a shoulder problem for several months and finally made the decision to rule himself out of the rest of the season in order to hit the ground running for the 2013-14 campaign.

The operation took place on Thursday morning and, according to head of performance Glen Driscoll, was a complete success.

“Joe Allen had surgery this morning, which went very well,” Driscoll told the club’s official website.

“It’s going to be a relief for Joe that this has now happened for him. It has been quite a long-standing issue. He was repetitively subluxing, so his shoulder was coming out very easily and very often.

“It was a procedure that was very important. He should be 12 weeks from now, so he’ll be fighting fit for the start of pre-season.”

Allen’s performances have come in for some criticism in recent weeks but Driscoll believes that his shoulder condition must have played a considerable part in his disappointing form.

“I think he has done amazingly well,” he continued. “Anyone who has ever had repetitive subluxations of shoulders will know there is a lot of apprehension involved.

“I find it difficult to see how that wouldn’t have affected Joe. It was getting to the point where he would do a high-five to celebrate a goal and would actually feel a sublux.

“When you know this is happening, it’s not just the pain that occurs – it’s the apprehension.

“He has done very well to get through this and it’s great for him that we can draw a line under this, get him fit and see how he goes next season.”