Injury woe and baby joy … progress report on Rotherham United’s Andre Green

The Rotherham United striker has undergone surgery on a ruptured achilles tendon and won't play again until the 2024/25 campaign.

However, he has had no chance to feel sorry for himself as his partner gave birth to the couple's first child around the same time as he had his operation.

Green, whose damaged foot is in a cast, is not yet due back at Roundwood to begin his rehabilitation and has been at his home in Manchester enjoying the first few weeks of his baby son's life.

Speaking before being removed from his manager's post last week, Matt Taylor said: “Congratulations to Andre. Post an achilles operation, you're very immobile, so hopefully he's getting a lot of sofa time with his little one. That's the most important thing in his life at the moment.

“He can keep his leg moving up and down but not with any weight on it. We're looking forward to seeing him again and looking after his physical and mental well-being.”

Surgery left the 25-year-old housebound for a while and he’s still using crutches and wearing a protective boot before he takes the first real steps on his long road to recovery.

The former Aston Villa youngster moved to AESSEAL New York Stadium in the summer after leaving Slovakian side Slovan Bratislava and had made nine Championship appearances when misfortune struck during a training session.

“There was no-one around him when he did it,” Taylor said. “Those injuries often turn out to be the worst ones.”

The Millers' experience earlier in the season with midfielder Jamie Lindsay, who has just returned to the squad after an achilles issue of his own, has taught them what to expect when Green walks back through the door at the club's HQ.

“He will look ‘skinny’,” Taylor said. “You lose your muscle straight away. We saw that with Jamie Lindsay when he was in a pot for a couple of weeks. Andre's going to have a lot of work to do when it's the right time to do that.”