HENRIK Pedersen faces surgery for the second time in eight months after suffering a recurrence of the Achilles problem that has dogged him for more than a year.

Wanderers' Denmark international, who missed almost four months of last season, thought he was finally clear of the injury when he made a successful comeback in March. But, after missing the entire pre-season programme with a similar problem, he has now been told he needs an exploratory operation to discover the cause of the pain that is preventing him training or playing.

Pedersen is already resigned to missing the start of the new season, but Sam Allardyce is hoping he will not spend anywhere near as long on the sidelines as he did last season.

"We need to understand the full extent of the problem before we know how long he will be out of action," the Wanderers boss said.

"We hope it's not as serious as the problem he had before."

The Pedersen blow could not have come at a worse time for Wanderers or for the player. With Player of the Year, Ricardo Gardner, sidelined until at least October as he recovers from knee surgery, the Danish striker had been earmarked as an option to new signing Quinton Fortune as understudy at left-back, where he was pressed into service to good effect in the early weeks of last season and towards the end of the campaign.

In between, though, he spent 15 frustrating weeks struggling to shake off the injury he believed was caused by "wear and tear". He had a cyst removed in December but needed further treatment, involving electrical pulses being passed through his Achilles tendon, in February.

Pedersen described that as a "miracle cure" but, after surviving a scare when he was injured in the UEFA Cup tie at Marseille in March, his condition is again giving Wanderers cause for concern.