Ireland captain Robbie Keane is expected to be sidelined for up to six weeks after having knee surgery, his MLS club LA Galaxy said on Friday.
That would give the country's record goalscorer about a month to achieve full fitness ahead of their opening game at Euro 2016 against Sweden on 13 June.
They play warm-up friendlies against the Netherlands and Belarus at the end of May before travelling to France for the tournament.
"LA Galaxy forward Robbie Keane underwent successful surgery on his right knee," the club said on its official website (www.lagalaxy.com). "The Galaxy captain is expected to miss 4-6 weeks."
Keane, 35, missed Ireland's recent friendly matches against Switzerland and Slovakia, adding to manager Martin O'Neill's worries over his strikers -- of whom five are now injured.
Stoke City's Jonathan Walters also had an operation, missing the game against Slovakia in which Southampton's Shane Long was hurt and goalkeeper Rob Elliot suffered an injury that ended his season and put him out of the Euros.
In the Switzerland game, Kevin Doyle of the Colorado Rapids suffered a serious gash to his leg that needed surgery and Daryl Murphy of Ipswich Town sustained a calf strain.
Keane has scored 67 goals in 143 games for Ireland since making his debut in 1998.
Source: transfermarketweb.com