SHUNSUKE NAKAMURA will fly to Germany next Tuesday to have an operation on a hernia.
The Celtic midfield star is expected to be out of action for just three weeks, and the club hope he may have to miss just one game, the opening SPL match against St Mirren on August 10.
The surgery will be performed at the same clinic where Darren O'Dea was treated for a similar condition towards the end of last season, and the defender was back in action within a matter of weeks.
There is no concern that Naka will still be sidelined by the time the first Old Firm game of the season, on August 31, comes around, or when the Champions League group stage kicks off two weeks later.
Naka's team-mate and countryman, Koki Mizuno, is also going under the knife next week.
The youngster who joined the club in January and who came on as a sub against Southampton last Friday, will have surgery on a cartilage problem.
He said: "I've been in pain since injuring my knee playing for the reserves against Gretna back in March. It's got so bad I can't play any longer."
Both men are doing light training here in the Algarve, but only straight-line running, no twisting. They sat out last night's 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough in the Algarve Challenge Cup and will be in the stand for the games against Cardiff tomorrow and Porto on Saturday.
Nakamura revealed today he has been struggling with his groin problem, plus ankle and calf pain, since the end of last season.
However, with the aid of pain medication, he played for Japan in their World Cup qualifiers during the summer.
It was only when he reported back to the Celtic squad after a three-week rest that it became clear he would require surgery.
Nakamura - who missed almost a third of last season with knee ligament and nerve damage - said: "I've had pain from my groin, an ankle and a calf since the end of last season.
"But the calf and ankle have been getting better in recent weeks.
"While I was playing for Japan, I took pain relieving medicine. But it got worse."
Naka hoped a holiday with his family back in Japan might be enough to remedy the problem.
But his hernia needs intervention, and he'll have surgery as quickly as possible. The loss of Naka and Mizuno is adding to manager Gordon Strachan's pre-season problems.
His squad is without Chris Killen and Evander Sno who are both off to the Olympics for the next three weeks.
Ben Hutchinson is in Glasgow to receive treatment for a persistent hamstring injury, and Cillian Sheridan - who was involved against Southampton and Fulham - has a recurrence of his hamstring problem.
The Celtic midfield star is expected to be out of action for just three weeks, and the club hope he may have to miss just one game, the opening SPL match against St Mirren on August 10.
The surgery will be performed at the same clinic where Darren O'Dea was treated for a similar condition towards the end of last season, and the defender was back in action within a matter of weeks.
There is no concern that Naka will still be sidelined by the time the first Old Firm game of the season, on August 31, comes around, or when the Champions League group stage kicks off two weeks later.
Naka's team-mate and countryman, Koki Mizuno, is also going under the knife next week.
The youngster who joined the club in January and who came on as a sub against Southampton last Friday, will have surgery on a cartilage problem.
He said: "I've been in pain since injuring my knee playing for the reserves against Gretna back in March. It's got so bad I can't play any longer."
Both men are doing light training here in the Algarve, but only straight-line running, no twisting. They sat out last night's 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough in the Algarve Challenge Cup and will be in the stand for the games against Cardiff tomorrow and Porto on Saturday.
Nakamura revealed today he has been struggling with his groin problem, plus ankle and calf pain, since the end of last season.
However, with the aid of pain medication, he played for Japan in their World Cup qualifiers during the summer.
It was only when he reported back to the Celtic squad after a three-week rest that it became clear he would require surgery.
Nakamura - who missed almost a third of last season with knee ligament and nerve damage - said: "I've had pain from my groin, an ankle and a calf since the end of last season.
"But the calf and ankle have been getting better in recent weeks.
"While I was playing for Japan, I took pain relieving medicine. But it got worse."
Naka hoped a holiday with his family back in Japan might be enough to remedy the problem.
But his hernia needs intervention, and he'll have surgery as quickly as possible. The loss of Naka and Mizuno is adding to manager Gordon Strachan's pre-season problems.
His squad is without Chris Killen and Evander Sno who are both off to the Olympics for the next three weeks.
Ben Hutchinson is in Glasgow to receive treatment for a persistent hamstring injury, and Cillian Sheridan - who was involved against Southampton and Fulham - has a recurrence of his hamstring problem.
