By Paul Brown

Martin O'Neill expects Wilfred Bouma to come "roaring back" when pre-season begins.

O'Neill confirmed the popular left-back has had keyhole surgery on his ankle and will miss the rest of the current campaign.

But he believes Bouma will be hungry to impress when preparations begin for the 2009-10 season.

He told AVTV: "Freddy will miss the rest of the season. It's been a wretched time for him.

"He has gone over to see the specialist who helped him with the injury originally.

"He has gone in for some keyhole surgery to remove some of the particles that have been floating around. Whether they've been there for a week or a few months, we're not sure. But it's causing him discomfort.

"The long and short of it is that he'll be out for the rest of the season. But he should, with a bit of luck, come roaring back during pre-season."