Leicester striker Jamie Vardy is set to undergo a minor groin operation, the club have confirmed.
The 28-year-old, the joint-leading scorer in the Barclays Premier League, requires surgery to repair a long-standing problem but he is only expected to miss one match.
The procedure will rule Vardy out of the FA Cup clash at Tottenham on Sunday, a game he would have been rested for anyway with Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri set to make several changes to his starting line-up for the third-round tie.
The 15-goal striker should be fit again when the Foxes return to White Hart Lane in the Premier League three days later.
Vardy has not scored in his last three matches, coinciding with a three-game winless run without a goal for the Foxes. But despite the sequence of a defeat and back-to-back draws, Ranieri’s side remain second in the table.