Essendon draftee Elijah Tsatas will miss the first month of the AFL season after undergoing knee surgery, reports the The Age.
Tsatas was sent in for surgery last week after tearing his meniscus and the report suggests he’ll sit out the next eight to 10 weeks.
Given the season is six weeks away, Tsatas will likely sit out until at least Round 4 before making his return to the field.
While the No. 5 draft pick was impressing throughout his first pre-season, Essendon will likely take a cautious approach to his return, and it’s expected he’ll need match practice before making a senior debut.
In other injury news, star forward Peter Wright joined the club’s rehab group at training on Tuesday after suffering a minor calf injury.
While he’s yet to return to full training, the Bombers expect him to be fit and ready to go for both of the club’s pre-season games on February 23 against Gold Coast and March 3 against Essendon.
The report also added that utility Nik Cox will have an MRI in the coming days for a slight lower back issue.