Town striker Marcus Bent has been told by a specialist that he will need surgery on his groin injury. Bent went to see a specialist today to seek a second opinion on the problem.

The former Sheffield United man is set to be out of action until Christmas.

Bent first felt a twinge in his back during the Reading game but it seems the groin was the underlying cause of that problem.

Town's two main injury worries ahead of Saturday, John McGreal and Alun Armstrong, both trained on Friday and are likely to be in the running for places at Bramall Lane.

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