West Bromwich Albion have confirmed that Ben Foster will be out for six months after undergoing surgery to reconstruct the cruciate knee ligaments in his left knee.

The goalkeeper was forced off in Albion's defeat to Stoke City earlier this month, and was initially expected to miss just four weeks with a cartilage problem, but surgery revealed that the damage was more extensive than first thought.

The club's director of performance, Dr Mark Gillett, told the team's official website: "Ben is in good spirits despite this obvious disappointment to him, he's already talking about his 'rehab' and wanting to get started on it immediately.

"But he has had a cruciate reconstruction of his left knee following the injury against Stoke and he will be out for six months."

Boaz Myhill started the Baggies' 3-0 defeat to Manchester City yesterday, with youth-team goalkeeper Jack Rose on the bench.