Michael Doyle faces a battle to be fit for the start of the season on August 7th.
The Irishman had surgery on a hernia injury last month and is currently unable to train. He said: "When I went away with Ireland in the summer my groin felt a bit sore and I just thought it was a strain, but after the last match against Holland it got worse.
"I thought it would go away but it was still there after a week and the pain moved up to my stomach so I went to see a specialist and he sent me for an operation straight away. I went to Glasgow to get the op done a week last Thursday.
"It is still a bit sore but I just hope to get back as soon as possible. They reckon it will set me back about four to six weeks and it is almost two weeks coming up now, so I am hoping to start running in Germany and then maybe get the last two friendlies before the start of the season. That's the way I am looking at it but I will just have to see how I react to the treatment.
"I am a fit lad and the fact that I kept playing through into June should help, so I don't feel like I am missing out on much and once I get back running I think I will be fine."
"I felt I made a good impression in the manager's first game against Crystal Palace but that was just one game and I have got to keep doing that every single day on the training pitch, especially now that he has signed a few players in my position.
"The likes of Tim Sherwood and Stephen Hughes are very experienced but I am confident in my ability and hopefully I will earn my place."