D.C. United captain Steven Birnbaum will miss the first two to three months of the MLS season after undergoing a second surgery on his left ankle, club officials said Monday.
Birnbaum, a 30-year-old center back entering his eighth season, was injured last season and underwent surgery in January to remove bone spurs and loose fragments.
He was expected back in 8-12 weeks and, about 10 days ago, General Manager Dave Kasper said Birnbaum would return near the end of training camp. However, the team’s medical staff determined an additional operation was necessary to decompress nerves and remove part of the talus bone with chronic inflammation.