ST MIRREN skipper Steven Thompson has vowed he will be back better than ever despite revealing he faces an op that will keep him out for up to three months.

The striker will go under the knife in London on Saturday to cure a niggling groin problem that has restricted him to only two appearances this season.

The extended lay-off adds to the woes of Buddies manager Tommy Craig, whose side have lost all five of their Premiership games to date, scoring just one goal in the process.

Thompson has been Saints' top scorer in each of the past three seasons but hasn't played since being substituted at half-time in last month's League Cup tie against Dunfermline.

Boss Craig later admitted he had rushed the player into a comeback before he was ready.

Now he is set to be without his talismanic captain until late November at the earliest.

Thompson told SportTimes: "I tore my groin in pre-season training but the tendon hasn't responded to treatment so I need an operation to cure it.

"Tendons don't heal very well and it's not got back to where it should be. There has always been pain there.

"I tried to test it out in the Dunfermline game to see how bad it was but it didn't really work out.

"I aggravated it within 10 minutes and that was the final straw. Now I need to have this operation at the weekend.

"It's obviously the last resort but we have been down every other avenue and the tendon just isn't healing. So this is the only remaining option.

"I'm being treated by a top surgeon in London and he told me the recovery time will be between eight and 12 weeks. We just need to get it right."

The frontman turns 36 next month but insists the surgery will not signal the beginning of the end of his playing days.

Thommo said: "I'm confident that I'll be back playing again soon, hopefully early December at the latest.

"I'm certainly not planning on hanging up my boots. Before I tore my groin I was absolutely flying and feeling really fit.

"I still believe I can play for the rest of this season and then another one at least after that.

"I'm planning to be back in the side in the second half of the season and hopefully banging in the goals."

A scoring return by the big veteran would be welcomed by under-fire Craig, who signed Callum Ball, James Marwood and Ross Caldwell in the close season in the hope they'd ease the pressure on Thompson.

But all three have struggled in front of goal and have failed to notch in the league so far.

Saints' first Premiership goal came in Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Kilmarnock and was scored by winger Adam Drury, who is on loan from Manchester City.