Charlton Athletic winger Rob Apter has undergone knee surgery.
The Addicks have not put a timescale on how long the 23-year-old will be out but described it as “an extended spell”.
Apter has played just 11 minutes of Championship football this season, coming on for the closing stages of the 4-0 loss at Stoke City in early September.
The former Scotland U21 international did complete the full match against Tottenham in the EFL Cup.
Apter has scored once since he signed from Blackpool before the start of last season, netting in the 3-1 loss at QPR. His solitary assist came in a 2-1 home defeat to Middlesbrough.
“Rob has worked incredibly hard since returning to the club this summer, so this is a tough setback for him,” Charlton boss Nathan Jones told the club’s website.
“He underwent surgery last week and will now begin a period of rehabilitation.
“He’ll have the full support of our staff throughout his recovery and everyone at the club is with him. We know he’ll approach this challenge with real determination and come back stronger."
Apter’s last league start for Charlton was the 1-0 home win over Oxford United on December 20, 2025.
He was benched in four of the five matches in January, not making the squad once, before being loaned to Bolton Wanderers at the end of the transfer window. Jones denied having any disagreement with Apter prior to his temporary switch.
Apter made nine starts for the League One club but was an unused substitute for their final three matches of the regulation season. He then missed out on Steven Schumacher’s squad for three play-off matches.
He scored in Charlton’s 1-0 win over Dartford in their opening friendly.
Jones confirmed that Apter missed the friendly at Gillingham in July due to “bone bruising in his knee”. He was a substitute for their opening four Championship fixtures before getting his first action at the bet365 Stadium as a 79th-minute change.
Charlton announced in September that centre-back Collins Sichenje was set to miss the remainder of the season due to a serious knee injury sustained at Spurs.
Now Apter is another player that is expected to sit out a big chunk of football.
Picture: Kyle Andrews