Welsh full-back Liam Williams could face three months on the sidelines due to an ankle injury he picked up at the Rugby World Cup in Japan.
The versatile back was forced to miss the nations 19-16 loss to South Africa on Sunday with an ankle injury, being replaced in the line-up by Leigh Halfpenny.
Williams sustained the injury while training for the semi-final but following the team’s loss he returned to club side Saracens and Gatland believes that he could be out for a while.
“I think he had surgery yesterday. I think it will be three months. That surgery takes about that long. If we had made the final, he would still be here with us. In fairness to Saracens, they had agreed that. But if we weren’t, they wanted to get him back for surgery as quickly as possible,” he said.
The injury would see Williams miss a chunk of the English Premiership side’s games including the Champions Cup pool stages and a number of domestic games as Sarries look to retain both trophies.
It would also put him at risk of missing the start of the 2020 Six Nations campaign with Wales with their first match against Italy on February 1st under new head coach Wayne Pivac, who he will be hoping to impress.
No matter what happens Williams will miss Gatland’s final game as Welsh head coach, with the rest of the squad preparing for the World Cup third-place play-off against New Zealand on Friday. It is a cruel blow for one of the best players in the game and fans will hope he comes back, getting back to his best form as soon as possible.
