Blow for Peterborough United as star striker set to be sidelined for at least a month after operation
Peterborough United striker Harry Leonard has undergone hernia surgery.
No timeframe for his absence has been disclosed, but footballers normally miss four-to-six weeks after a hernia operation.
The 22 year-old has been playing with the help of pain-killing operations in recent weeks, but discomfort levels were increasing so the club and player took the decision to take the surgery.
The operation took place on Monday, two days after Leonard played most of the 1-1 draw at Northampton Town, and was reportedly a success.
Posh boss Luke Williams said: “After the Northampton game Harry went to see a specialist on Monday morning and the operation took place that afternoon. The feedback we have had from the surgeon was very positive. There have been no complications and Harry is on the mend.
"We had tried to manage the problem with injections and they would never had put him at any risk. Hernias are a very common problem. Sometimes you don’t know they are there, but sometimes the pain can be excruciating.
"Harry hasn’t be able to complete a full week’s training recently and it was clear this problem was only going one way. He was at risk of more serious injury, not because of the hernia, but because he couldn’t condition himself properly.
“Harry felt he couldn’t produce what he wanted to produce and to be in discomfort every day was not going to do him any good mentally or physically so we took the decision between us to act now. Harry was involved in every decision we made.
"I think everyone could see Harry wanted to be out on the pitch playing. He’s been desperate to get out there and put a shift in for the team. He’s a tough boy so for him to say it was becoming unbearable speaks volumes.
“For him to score goals and create goals when he's been playing with pain says a lot about his character. I hope he’s felt the love from the fans, the management staff and his teammates.
"The plan now is to get him fit to play again this season and to then send him off to pre-season and next season in the best shape he can be.” Leonard has scored 13 goals in his first season at Posh, 12 of them in League One.