The Wales international will undergo surgery on his problematic shoulder after suffering a recurrence of the injury in October

Liverpool midfielder Joe Allen has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury.

The Wales international suffered a recurrence of his troublesome shoulder injury in October, while the club have confirmed he will now undergo surgery on Thursday.

Liverpool’s first-team doctor Zaf Iqbal told the club’s website: “Joe Allen is due to have a left shoulder operation tomorrow morning in Liverpool and will be ready to return to football at the beginning of next season.”

The 23-year-old was brought off by Brendan Rodgers at half-time in the 3-1 defeat to Southampton on Saturday and subsequently withdrew from Wales’ squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifying double-header against Scotland and Croatia.

Liverpool have confirmed that Allen will be available for the start of next season.