Thomas facing three-month lay-off

5:27pm Tuesday 14th October 2008

Sale centre Lee Thomas will be sidelined until the new year after suffering a severe and complex dislocation of the shoulder.

Thomas will undergo surgery at the Alexandra Hospital in Cheadle on Wednesday, and his recovery time is expected to be three months.

The 24-year-old was injured just 12 minutes into Sale's 32-15 Heineken Cup victory over Clermont Auvergne on Saturday.

Scrum-half Dwayne Peel suffered a 'stinger' to the shoulder, but Sale hope the Wales international will be available to face Munster this weekend.

Full-back Mathew Tait and prop Andrew Sheridan are also expected to be fit after missing the historic victory in France with arm and hamstring injuries respectively.