CITY are likely to kick off next season without defensive mainstays Rory McArdle and Stephen Darby.

McArdle went under the knife yesterday for surgery to stabilise the front part of his left shoulder.

Skipper Darby has begun a series of injections to cure the groin problem he had been carrying throughout the whole of the last campaign.

Physio Matt Barrass said: "It's just come to the point for both of them that for the sake of missing a few weeks at the start of the season, hopefully they will be sorted out for their careers.

"The official line with Rory is four months post-op before he can do any full-contact training, although we might be able to get it down to three.

"Stephen has got a better chance of making the start if he responds well but in theory he will be struggling. It just depends on how much of the fitness work we can get in him."

McArdle's is a historical problem and he had similar repair work when he played for Aberdeen.

He dislocated the joint again at Bury at the start of March when he landed awkwardly. That kept him out for eight games but he was able to finish the season by wearing shoulder protection.

Barrass said: "We couldn't take a chance any longer. If we'd left it and tried to carry on, it could go a month into the season.

"It's called a latarjet procedure and, in theory, prevents it from coming out again.

"The surgery went well but they are very strict with the protocols of how much he can move it now. The recovery work is very structured."

Darby made the most appearances last season with 54, including every league game. He has been ever-present since being left out for the Capital One Cup tie at York in the first week of the campaign.

All that time, he has been playing through the pain of a long-running groin issue that had restricted him last pre-season.

Barrass said: "He has done really well to get through. We've had to manage him for parts of the season and do extra work.

"But we knew there would come a tipping point, so he has seen the sports physio in Guiseley to have a series of injections around the groin.

"He will need to do a lot of core stability work and it's going to take a while, so he is going to be behind in the pre-season."