Tottenham Hotspur have announced that Eric Dier will miss the club's Christmas fixtures after having his appendix removed.
"Eric Dier has undergone surgery to remove his appendix," the club said in a statement. "He will now undergo a period of recovery before commencing rehabilitation and it is expected he will return to training with the squad in January."
England international Dier was an unused substitute for Tuesday's 1-1 draw in the Champions League at Barcelona, and was not in the squad for Saturday's 1-0 win against Burnley at Wembley.
After the 24-year-old was ruled out of the Burnley game "due to a virus," 18-year-old Oliver Skipp made his Premier League debut for the club and earned praise from manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Tottenham travel to Arsenal for their Carabao Cup quarterfinal match on Wednesday before a trip to Everton in the Premier League on Sunday.
They then have home games against Bournemouth on Boxing Day and Wolves on Dec. 29, before seeing in the New Year with an away game at Cardiff City.