Adelaide forward Tom Lynch has had arthroscopic surgery on his left big toe and is expected to be sidelined for more than two months.

The procedure forms part of a clean-out of his toe joint which he initially aggravated in the Round Three win over Gold Coast.

Lynch had been able to play with the assistance of pain killers and it was hoped modified training loads would assist in alleviating the soreness.

However, Crows Head of Football Adam Kelly said the forward’s degenerative toe problem had shown no signs of improving.

“In the beginning we weighed up our options and the path we chose has not worked,” Kelly said.

“Tom had been able to carry the injury up until and during the Round Six game when he was the substitute and had 20 minutes of game time.

“He then sat out last week’s match against GWS and we had hoped those couple of weeks with a lighter load would assist in his recovery.

“That has not eventuated and while it is disappointing to lose a player of Tom’s quality and leadership, we are confident he will recover in time to play a role for the team in the latter stages of the season.”