Blackpool's Kevin Stewart undergoes operation to help solve injury nightmare

The midfielder posted a picture of himself in the gym on crutches to his Twitter and Instragram pages.

The 29-year-old, who has also been struggling with a calf injury, is only wearing one shoe in the image, suggesting the operation was on his fractured foot.

Stewart has yet to see a minute of action this season and has only made 30 appearances over the last two-and-a-half seasons after arriving at Bloomfield Road on a free transfer in January 2021.

His last game for the Seasiders came on the final day of last season in the 5-0 thrashing by Peterborough United.

Speaking last week, head coach Michael Appleton revealed one of the reasons Grant Ward was brought back to the club was to add further depth in midfield as Stewart is expected to be out until the New Year.

Despite the setback, Stewart is opting to look on the positive side of things.

“This week I had to have an operation on top of all the injuries and time already spent out of action the past two years,” he posted on his social media pages.

“Something that on top of everything that would’ve wounded me heavily.

“It’s obviously not what I wanted and it woulda (sic) never have been something I thought I needed but…

“Extremely driven people when restricted for progress physically are forced to progress mentally and spiritually.

“At a time I’d consider one of the lowest points of my career, I feel the most liberated I’ve ever felt and it’s easily the most profound understandings after years of an internal war.

“This might sound deep for football and injuries but it’s all relevant.”

Stewart’s contract expires at the end of this season, although the club do hold the option to extend by a further 12 months.

Stewart is joined on the sidelines by Jordan Gabriel (knee), Lewis Fiorini (hamstring) Keshi Anderson (quad) and Jake Beesley (also a fractured foot).

Anderson is thought to be the closest to returning, with Appleton confirming before the Preston North End derby that he was due to rejoin training at the start of this week.