Ghana defender John Mensah is eager to make his second World Cup appearance and does not want to book any appointment in the operating room before that time.
The Sunderland player has been affected by a back problem which has led to consistent hamstring problems, disrupting his impressive outing in the English Premier League.
Mensah was again taken off in their game against Manchester United after the injury surfaced again but Mensah has ruled out an immediate surgery to correct the problem.
The surgery is likely to rule him out for more than six months meaning he will be unavailable for the Black Stars if he undergoes the operation before next month's tournament in South Africa.
Mensah insists the surgery must be done after serving his country at the tournament in South Africa.
He said: “If there will be any surgery at all it has to wait until after the season and the World Cup."
The defender recovered from the chronic back injury, but doctors recommend he undergoes surgery for a lasting solution.
The Black Stars’ assistant coach Kwasi Appiah has already paid him a visit at his Sunderland base and has assured the nation of the player’s readiness for South Africa 2010.
The deputy skipper of the four-time African champions is well respected back home and was instrumental during their 2006 and 2008 Nations Cup campaigns.
Mensah, who made his continental debut for the Black Stars at Mali 2002, stood out during the World Cup run in Germany in 2006.