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Wellington defender Louis Fenton has been ruled out for the rest of the A-League season after failing to recover from a shoulder dislocation.

Louis Fenton's spectacular referee rant was his last act of the A-League season after the Wellington defender was found to need surgery on his shoulder.

Fenton's long-running battle with injuries has continued this season, having suffered a dislocation six weeks ago which medical staff have found hard to remedy.

The hard-working fullback will undergo surgery, meaning Tim Payne can expect an extended run on the right side of defence, where he has impressed in recent weeks.

Fenton made headlines on the day he suffered the injury against Melbourne City in round five.

He launched an expletive-laden attack on the VAR in a post-match television interview after conceding a penalty for handball in the 3-2 loss in Melourne.

That was the team's fourth successive defeat although they've since notched a draw and three wins to sit mid-table.

All Whites international Fenton has played 108 A-League games across seven seasons in Wellington but it would have been considerably more were it not for injury.

A similar shoulder complaint sidelined him for much of the 2013/14 season, having made his debut a year earlier.

Phoenix coach Ufuk Talay said news of the surgery was disappointing but was "something that needed to get done".

"He'll miss the season, which is a big blow for us, but the main thing is we get him right, he gets his body right and he's ready for pre-season next year," he said.