LEWIS WING is set for an operation that could rule him out for the rest of the season, although Tony Pulis hopes the Middlesbrough talent will make it back before the end of the campaign.

The 23-year-old midfielder has been a key man for Boro since turn of the year but has been carrying a hernia problem in recent weeks.

And after appearing in Tuesday’s defeat to Bristol City as a second half substitute, Wing has now been ruled out of tomorrow’s trip to Swansea City and he will have surgery as soon as possible.

Pulis said: “We're trying to get it done as quickly as we can. It's a hernia and it needs to be done. Wingy at Villa and in other games, has dropped off.

“Even Tuesday, I pulled him on Monday, he had flu on Sunday and hadn't been involved. On the Monday I pulled him and said, 'Lewis, if we need you for half an hour, someone to smash one in'. He said, 'yeah, I'm fine'. He went out there and he was bloody awful.

“We had to pull him Wednesday and say Lewis listen, because I've asked you can't just say yes, you've got to talk to me on an even level. Then he said he'd felt he was struggling over the past couple of weeks.

“He couldn't get the power in his left side that he'd had before. It was quite evident on Tuesday he was struggling.”

Now Pulis hopes Wing can have the same surgeon that goalkeeper Darren Randolph had work on him last summer.

“We're not sure (how long), if we can get him in quick then who knows, we might be able to get him back for the back end of it. If we can get it done quick,” said Pulis.

“But we want it done by a specific person, we don't want it done by anyone else. We want it done by the person who did Randolph's, they're good and they get them done quickly. It's done in a way that we believe is the best way for it to be done. He's had such a great season.”

Middlesbrough head to Swansea on the back of five straight defeats that have seen them drop out of the top six.

Pulis added: “Lewis Wing unfortunately has to have an operation, and that’s what hits you when things aren’t going well. You have to be positive. We will have a good morning, there are seven games to go, the doom and gloom that surrounds lots of people today, there are a lot of clubs below us who want to be in our position, if we can go on a run, we have to be positive around the place.”