Dublin's preparations for the forthcoming Leinster football championship have been dealt a serious blow with the news that Darren Magee is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
A scan has revealed the Kilmacud Crokes midfielder has a broken bone in his hand and will require surgery, ruling him out for up to two months.
Magee, who missed last year's championship campaign as he was travelling in Australia, suffered the injury in February but an earlier prognosis failed to reveal the extent of the problem and he has been playing with the injury for a number of months.
Dublin, who open the defence of their Leinster title against Longford on June 5th, will look to Shane Ryan and possibly Denis Bastick to partner Ciaran Whelan in midfield.