The England rugby star Jonny Wilkinson has had a second operation on his latest knee injury.
The first-five's club Newcastle says the surgery was always scheduled.
There were reports Wilkinson had complications after suffering a dislocation in October but Falcons rugby director Steve Bates says an arthroscopic examination was carried out to see if the initial operation had been a success.
Wilkinson has seen Danny Cipriani and Toby Flood take over his England duties during the second half of this year, and is battling to be fit for the 2009 Six Nations Championship.
His career has been blighted by repeated injury setbacks since landing the drop-goal that saw England beat Australia in the 2003 World Cup final in Sydney.