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This means he is the third Burnley striker to have the same operation this year following on from both Robbie Blake and Ian Moore who had surgery during the close season.
Payts is now in the last year of his current three-year contract and the crowd favourite is surely coming to the end of his time at Turf Moor. He hasn’t started a first team game since February 2001, a 2-1 home defeat against Crystal Palace, and the last time he played a full 90 minutes in the first team was in the home game against Blackburn which was two years ago next month.
He thinks he will be out for around six weeks and so it will be into January before he is fit to play again. Whatever happens, and his chances of playing in the first team again do seem remote, he will remain a hugely popular player at Turf Moor.