LA Galaxy said in a statement late last night that the Ireland captain had successful surgery on his right knee yesterday and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks of action.
The news comes a day after Jonathan Walters confirmed he too had a knee operation and hopes to be back in action in less than three weeks.
In the absence of Walters, Ireland manager Martin O'Neill trialled several different formations against the Swiss and the Slovaks but it was the performances of Tipperary's Shane Long that impressed most pundits.
Despite some speculation that O'Neill would prefer to use the Southampton forward as an impact sub this summer, former Republic of Ireland manager John Giles says Long is now a vital part of the side.
