Ireland's injury fear confirmed

INJURY UPDATE: Ireland flyhalf Joey Carbery’s injury-hit season is officially over.

Out of the game since the start of January following surgery for a wrist injury, it emerged last week that an ankle problem also required surgery.

Now the Munster medical department have confirmed that the stricken player’s expected return to training will be at the start of pre-season ahead of the 2020/21 campaign.

That rules him out of the remainder of Munster’s PRO14 title challenge and from touring Australia next July with Ireland.

Carbery’s season never fully recovered from the ankle injury suffered last August versus Italy in a World Cup warm-up.

He eventually made it back to play a part in some matches in Japan off the bench. But no sooner had he returned from the Far East was he ruled out again as it emerged he had only been managing the existing injury during the finals and wasn’t 100 per cent.

He made it back in the pitch as a sub for the post-Christmas league derby versus Leinster and started the following weekend at Ulster before injury struck again.

Carbery took to social media at that time to explain his situation. “Devastation doesn’t even describe how I’m feeling,” he wrote on Instagram.

“Thanks for all the well wishes. Been a tough couple of months physically and mentally, and thought I was in the clear. But will be back soon, better than ever.”

Confirmation that his season at the club is now over means that the 24-year-old has in total started just 15 games for Munster since his 2018 move from Leinster.