RONAN Clarke, the newly -crowned Ulster Footballer of the Year, could now find himself sidelined for up to 12 months.

This bombshell was dropped on the player, his club Pearse Og and Armagh after he underwent keyhole surgery for a knee injury that has been troubling him of late. The 23-year-old has enjoyed phenomenal personal success this year, collecting a catalogue of honours and sharing in Armagh's fifth Ulster senior football championship title in the past six years.

Clarke, no stranger to injury, having suffered from a back problem last year, was selected on the Vodafone Allstar team, was chosen on the Opel Gaelic Players Association Team of the Year, lifted the Tennent's GAA Writers Ulster Player of the Year prize and just this month collected the Armagh Player of the Year award.

But suddenly his immediate future is shrouded in doubt, although a full medical assessment of the damage to his knee is expected to be provided shortly.

It is understood that Clarke had undergone an exploratory examination recently but it was felt that rather more damage had been sustained by his knee than was through at first.

He will now undergo an initial recovery period but would appear to face a lengthy rehabilitation process in terms of getting back to full fitness.

Clarke's influence within the Armagh side this year was immense - his creativity and scoring touch underpinned Joe Kearnan's outfit to such an extent that he at times took on opposition defences virtually single-handedly.

His possible protracted absence will not just be a major blow to the orchard county, the dominant force in Ulster football for the past decade, but will also be a big setback to his club Pearse Og who have regained their Division One status in the All-County league and are currently settling into their magnificent new playing complex at Ballycrummy just outside Armagh city.

Clarke was named Young Player of the Year in 2002 when he played a leading role in taking Armagh to their only All Ireland title to date and since then he has been plagued by injuries although this year he had an outstanding campaign in the orchard county colours.