British & Irish Lion Sean O’Brien is facing a spell on the sidelines after he suffered a dislocated shoulder on club duty with Leinster over the Christmas period.
The Lions flanker had to leave the field in the second half of his side’s 19-6 victory over Irish rivals Ulster on Saturday.
The 26-year-old started the third and final Test in Sydney, stepping for injured captain Sam Warburton as the Lions triumphed 41-16 to secure a 2-1 series victory.
O’Brien is originally forecast to miss at least two months of action while rehabbing the injury but Leinster forwards coach Jono Gibbes did find some cause for optimism.
“Without knowing a massive amount about it, the positive is that he hasn’t had too much shoulder injuries and it’s a dislocation,” said Gibbes.
“They are going to go in there and fix it surgically, but with no complications he could get back and play some footie this year.”
