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Cardiff and Wales flanker Josh Navidi has had neck surgery and is expected to return in mid January.

The back rower hasn't played since being injured while winning his 33rd cap on the summer tour of South Africa in July.

Rest and rehabilitation did not solve the problem so Navidi had an operation.

"It didn't progress as quickly as everybody would like, so the operation was deemed necessary to sort it out," said director of rugby Dai Young

"Nobody wants to go into those operations unless they have to, certainly with your neck, but it just wasn't right.

"He is feeling a lot better now, he's cracking on with his rehab and is a lot better place.

"He should be back in either the first or second week of January. So he's not too far away."

British and Irish Lions full-back Liam Williams has been sidelined since suffering a collarbone injury on his Cardiff debut against Munster in September.

Williams underwent surgery and is now within sight of a return.

"I think he will definitely feature over one of the festive games, either Boxing Day (Dragons away) or New Year's Day (Ospreys home)," said Young.

"He's coming to the end of his rehab. He's getting very close now and it's just a matter of getting some real hard training minutes into him."

Cardiff's Wales centre Willis Halaholo is not expected to return until the beginning of March after damaged his hamstring against the Stormers in the United Rugby Championship in October.