Brighton and Hove Albion defender Tariq Lamptey is set to miss the start of the 2021/22 Premier League season.
The 20-year-old was not included in Graham Potter's squad which travelled to Glasgow to face Scottish Premiership Champions Rangers in a pre-season friendly on Saturday.
Lamptey had only returned to training recently following surgery on a hamstring injury which had kept him out since December.
"It’s a little bit slower than we would like and probably he would like but with the nature of his surgery and the injury, we need to make sure that he’s right rather than putting any timescale on it," Potter told the Athletic.
“He’s making progress but not as fast as we and he would like.
“It’s important that we just stay patient and do the right things for him, make sure we finish off this last stage of his rehab in a good way, because it’s not necessarily about being available for the first game, it’s about being available for as many games as he can in the season.”
Last season, Lamptey made 11 Premier League appearances for Brighton due to injury.
“At this stage, I would say it’s unlikely but you never know. We’ve got a plan but we’ll see how he responds," Potter added.
Brighton will open their league campaign with an away clash with Burnley on August 14.