Socceroos captain Maty Ryan's participation in next month's AFC Asian Cup is in doubt after suffering a facial injury.
The 85-cap veteran was a certainty to be Graham Arnold's first-choice goalkeeper in the tournament - which begins for Australia in Qatar on January 13.
The Sporting News has all the details about Ryan's injury and what it means for the green and gold.
What is Maty Ryan's injury?
Ryan suffered a fractured cheekbone while training on the weekend for his Dutch Eredivisie club side AZ Alkmaar.
The 31-year-old has already had surgery and used social media to post pictures of the injury.
"Mathew Ryan suffered a head injury during training on Sunday," AZ Alkmaar said via a statement.
"The Australian international has now undergone surgery for a fractured cheekbone and will be sidelined for several weeks."
Eyes on the road ahead 🔙🔜
— Maty Ryan (@MatyRyan) December 11, 2023
Thanks for the well wishes 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/7x8UCUyrY6
When will Maty Ryan return from injury?
While recovery from a fractured cheekbone varies due to the severity of the injury, it usually takes around six weeks for the issue to heal.
If Ryan is absent for six weeks from his surgery date (December 11), he will miss the Socceroos' group stage of the Asian Cup.
Australia's first group game is against India on January 13, with a contest versus Syria on January 18 before their final match of the stage against Uzbekistan on January 22.
However, Ryan is a chance to play in the knockout stage, which the Socceroos are expected to make, with their round-of-16 match likely to be on January 28.
Who will replace Maty Ryan as Socceroos goalkeeper?
The Socceroos' most recent squad - for the Bangladesh and Palestine World Cup qualifiers - included Adelaide United stopper Joe Gauci and Charlton custodian Ashley Maynard-Brewer alongside Ryan.
It's likely that Gauci will be first option to replace Ryan, with the talented keeper getting his first cap against Ecuador earlier this year and performing well in the A-League this season.
Maynard-Brewer is yet to be capped by Arnold and is unlikely to be exposed to a debut in a major tournament.
Tom Glover could also be a contender but he is currently second-choice stopper for Middlesbrough and isn't getting regular game time.
Sydney FC goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne's penalty heroics helped Australia into World Cup 2022, but he has been error-prone in the A-League this season.
Danny Vukovic retired from international duty in March, while Mitch Langerak is unlikely to consider a call-up after being snubbed for the World Cup.
