Hartlepool United midfielder set for prolonged spell out after ex-Notts County man undergoes surgery

Crawford has been missing from the Hartlepool squad since the defeat at Swindon Town last month where he appeared to pick up a knock - despite being able to complete the full 90 minutes at the County Ground in a 2-1 defeat.

But Hartlepool boss Curle, who revealed the 23-year-old has been dealing with an ankle problem, suggests the injury has been problematic for a number of months for Crawford, with the decision now made for the midfielder to receive the required surgery.

And Crawford, who signed a two-year deal with the club in April, could now miss a huge chunk of the season, with Curle not expecting the former Chester and Notts County man back until late in the campaign.

“It was diagnosed that Tom needed to have an operation,” Curle confirmed to The Mail.

“We put it off for as long as we thought we could, whereby he was still able to train and perform to a degree, even though it was with discomfort.

“But then it got to the stage that his ability to train and play was being hampered by his injury. So the decision was made that we need to get it done now, with the hope that he’ll be back for the latter stages of the season.”

And asked to clarify whether the injury came as a result of the knock sustained at Swindon, Curle revealed the midfielder has been playing through the pain barrier for a prolonged period.

“It was prior to that,” said Curle.

“It’s been ongoing since I’ve been here and it’s been identified that he needed an operation.

“He’s managed to battle through and give me some game time and give me some minutes, but it got to the stage where he was limited in training.

“It wasn’t so much a reoccurring injury, it was just getting progressively worse, training session by training session and game by game. But [credit to him] for giving us what he has.”