Mohamed Toure faces an uphill battle to play any part in Australia's Asian Cup campaign after having shoulder surgery.
A recovery timeline for the Socceroos striker was revealed by Norwich manager Philippe Clement after Toure went under the knife.
"Mo had surgery and he will be out until January, around that period, so that's a long time," Clement told reporters.
Toure was named Norwich's player of the month for September, scoring five goals in the opening seven games of the English Championship season.
That included firing home a terrific opener against Bolton before injuring his shoulder in a tussle.
"This one hurts!! Another small setback, another battle to face," Toure wrote on Instagram in late September.
"I'll do everything to come back stronger and give everything I have to return better than before.
"Thank you to everyone who's stayed believing, promise to be back out there soon."
The Asian Cup kicks off on January 7, giving Toure little to no time to build fitness and make a case for selection by coach Tony Popovic.
In his expected absence, Nestory Irankunda and Tete Yengi shape as the Socceroos' main options in the No.9 for the Asian Cup.
The Socceroos wished Toure a speedy recovery after news of his shoulder surgery broke.
"Hoping to see you back on the pitch soon," the national side posted on X.
Toure has scored 16 goals and tallied four assists in 21 games in all competitions since joining Norwich in January.
The 22-year-old entered the World Cup with high hopes but failed to fire.
Toure started Australia's first two World Cup games against Turkey and the United States, before Popovic chose to use Irankunda ahead of him against Paraguay and Egypt.
Australia (world No.26) are currently the third highest-ranked team heading into the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, behind Japan (No.17) and Iran (No.23).
The Socceroos are slated to play Singapore in their opening group game on January 9, before tackling the Graham Arnold-led Iraq and Tajikistan.
