CELTIC midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura has revealed he can no longer ignore the groin pain which has blighted him for months.
The Japanese international is said to be flying to Germany next week for a hernia operation.
The operation would put him out of action for around three weeks, ruling him out of the first match of Celtic's Premier League title defence, at home to
St Mirren on 10 August.
Nakamura missed almost three months of last season with a knee injury and suffered further fitness problems after returning in January.
He played for his country in a series of World Cup qualifiers in June with the help of painkillers but a rest period has failed to clear up his groin problem.
The 30-year-old has not taken part in full training after joining up with his Celtic team-mates in Portugal on Sunday and sat out Tuesday night's 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough in the Algarve Cup.
Nakamura 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."
Nakamura's international team-mate Koki Mizuno is also expected to undergo surgery.
Mizuno came off the bench during Celtic's weekend friendlies against Southampton and Fulham but was left out of Tuesday night's game.
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."
Celtic face Cardiff City tonight in their second game of the Algarve Cup having had to come from behind to secure a late 1-1 draw in an uninspired display against Middlesbrough.
Jeremie Aliadiere, who endured an unsuccessful loan spell at Celtic for a month at the beginning of the 2005/6 season, scored Middlesbrough's opener, although he knew little about it as goalkeeper Mark Brown could only hit Darren O'Dea's poor backpass straight off the attacker and into the net.
Celtic hit back in the second minute of injury time when Paul Caddis swung in a deep cross that Bobo Balde headed back across goal for Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink nodded home.
Former Motherwell striker Ross McCormack scored both goals for Cardiff as they beat Vitoria Guimaraes 2-1.
The full article contains 400 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
