Milan Skriniar is set for a long period on the sidelines after Inter Milan announced on Thursday that the Slovakia centre-back had undergone spinal surgery.
In a statement, Inter said that Skriniar underwent "endoscopic surgery on his lumbar spine" on Wednesday in France.
"The Inter defender will follow a rehabilitation program in the coming weeks," the statement added.
Skriniar risks missing the rest of Inter's season as the Italian club try to win the Champions League for the first time since 2010.
Inter take on local rivals AC Milan in a mouth-watering semi-final to decide who will contest June's final in Istanbul.
Skriniar, 28, is out of contract with Inter at the end of the season and is expected to sign for Paris Sain-Germain as a free agent in the summer.
He missed Wednesday's 3-3 draw with Benfica which secured passage to the last four of Europe's top club competition.
