Brighton & Hove Albion centre-back Connor Goldson has been ruled out for the rest of the season after being diagnosed with a heart problem during a routine screening.
The 24-year-old was identified "as having a possible risk factor", the club said in a statement, and will now undergo preventative surgery to fix the problem.
Seagulls manager Chris Hughton said: "This is a significant blow for Connor, and also the club, but having taken further medical advice, the best course of action is for him to have preventative surgery.
"We will be without Connor for the rest of the season, which is a big loss for us - but this is absolutely the right course of action. We wish him well with his recovery and look forward to him returning for us next season."
Goldson had featured eight times in all competitions for the Championship leaders this season.
