Port Adelaide utility Matt White’s scans have confirmed a worst-case scenario and he’ll miss the next three months of the AFL season.

White tore his right pectoral muscle during Port’s round-one win against St Kilda and will have surgery next week, Port said in a statement on Wednesday.

Port’s high performance manager Darren Burgess says White is ruled out until at least round 14.

“It’s a complete rupture to the pectoral muscle, which for Whitey will mean he misses at least 12 weeks,” Burgess said in a statement.

“It’s really disappointing for him. Unfortunately the symptoms present similar irrespective of the severity of the injury, so we couldn’t confirm the detail until the scans.”

Port will consider placing White on the long-term injury list, enabling a rookie to be promoted.