Ian McParland has expressed his disappointment that Stephen Hunt will miss the start of the season.
Magpies boss disappointed defender needs operation
Ian McParland has expressed his disappointment that defender Stephen Hunt will miss the start of the League Two campaign.
The 23-year-old is expected to sit out the next three months when he undergoes an operation next week to cure a long-standing adductor problem.
McParland had been expecting big things of the defender this season and is disappointed his will not hit the ground running.
"This isn't the end of the world by any means and Stephen will be back hopefully for October and stronger for it," the Magpies boss told the club's official website.
Gutted
"Obviously right now though I am absolutely gutted for the boy because he wants to do well.
"I just felt that this season Hunty was really going to kick on, whether we played him at left-sided centre-half or left-back.
"With a good pre-season under his belt and being able to work on a few things with him, we felt he could kick on and progress."
