A follow-up surgery on the knee injury suffered U.S. and Bolton midfielder Stuart Holden six months ago will knock him out of action yet again.

He needed 26 stitches and months of rehabilitation to recover from a challenge by Manchester United defender Jonny Evans in March, and returned last week in a League Cup match against Aston Villa. He will miss another six weeks to recover from the follow-up procedure.

“It was looking likely that the operation could be scheduled for next summer, but after follow-up consultations with the specialists we have brought the date forward,” manager Owen Coyle said on the club website.

On his Twitter account, Holden said, “Obviously I’m disappointed as I’ve worked so hard the last 6 months, but in the grand scale of things it’s only a minor blip."