Yet more surgery for Rotherham United centre-forward Josh Kayode

The 23-year-old's injury misfortune struck again in the first match of his season-long loan spell at Carlisle United and he is expected to be out of action for around 12 weeks.

He will have surgery on a damaged shoulder next Tuesday and is back with the Championship Millers until he is fit enough to resume training with the League One Cumbrians.

The Republic of Ireland under-21 international had been cursed with bad luck over the last 12 months, during which time he has hardly played and has needed ops on knee and quad issues.

“It’s not good news with Josh,” Carlisle boss Paul Simpson said. “It’s a huge blow for us and a massive blow for him. He’s really settled in here.”

Kayode had the opportunity to leave the Millers permanently in the recent transfer window, with the Cumbrians and Barnsley making six-figure bids, but refused to break his ties with the club he joined as a 16-year-old.

Instead, he went on loan to Brunton Park for a third time, with Rotherham extending his contract by a year until 2025 to prevent him becoming a free agent at the end of this season.

Millers manager Matt Taylor says he rates the centre-forward but the boss brought in two new frontmen during the window and the Dublin-born player's game-time would have been limited at AESSEAL New York Stadium.

Kayode suffered his latest injury in a challenge in an EFL Trophy tie at Accrington Stanley on September 5 and managed to play in the following third-tier fixture four days later, at Stevenage, before the true extent of his problem became apparent.

“Josh dislocated his shoulder when he got smashed on the edge of the box,” Simpson said. “We think it must have popped out and then popped back in.

“He initially said he felt okay but it stiffened up last week. He went for a scan and it’s a torn muscle in the shoulder.”

Kayode, who had made one Carabao Cup start and four second-tier substitute appearances for the Millers before heading to the north west, will have to wait for around a month before he can resume non-contact football.

That is the point at which Carlisle are hoping he returns to them.

“We’ll get him right and hopefully he’ll have an effect in the second half of the season,” Simpson said.

Rotherham, who played at Millwall last night, are at home to Preston North End on Saturday.