BLACKBURN Rovers midfielder Chris Taylor will miss the start of the new campaign after undergoing an operation to cure the problem that has plagued him since the end of last season.

Taylor appeared to overcome the groin injury that ruled him of the final eight games of the 2014-15 campaign when he returned to pre-season training alongside his team-mates.

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But the 28-year-old, who signed a new one-year contract last month, has suffered a recurrence and late last week went under the knife.

Rovers boss Gary Bowyer has hailed the operation as a success and hopes that Taylor, at the very latest, will be back in action by the first match after the international break at Fulham on September 13.

Bowyer said: “He’s had a little operation, I’m afraid, but I’m delighted to say that it’s gone very well.

“Time wise, it’s very difficult to put a date on it, but we’d be disappointed if it was any more than a month.”

Corry Evans, like fellow midfielder Taylor, has not played a minute of pre-season.

But the Northern Ireland international is expected to join in full training today.

Striker Chris Brown and defender Darragh Lenihan, who have not featured since the pre-season opener at Accrington Stanley, are already back training alongside their team-mates after injuries of their own.

The only other outfield first-team player unavailable to Bowyer in Saturday’s 3-0 home win over Wigan Athletic was Lee Williamson.

But, while the midfielder is nursing a knock, he will be fit for this weekend’s Championship opener at home to Wolves.

On-trial striker Nicky Maynard came off with a tight hamstring in the ultimately comfortable success over the Latics, a success secured by late strikes from Willem Tomlinson, captain Grant Hanley and Ben Marshall.

But otherwise Rovers reported no fresh injuries.

Bowyer said: “Barring Nicky Maynard’s hamstring, the main thing was that we managed to come through unscathed from injuries.

“We scored two very good goals, from Willem and Ben, and it was good to keep a clean sheet. That’s always important for your goalkeeper and back four.

“It wasn’t the greatest of games in the first half but we upped it in the second and now we’re ready to go for the real thing against Wolves on Saturday.”