Essendon youngster Irving Mosquito faces 12 months on the sidelines after scans confirmed he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in Sunday’s AFL loss to Geelong at the Gabba.

Mosquito, 20, awkwardly twisted his left knee when attempting to tackle Cat Tom Stewart in the third quarter and was assisted from the ground.

The timing of the injury and long recovery period means it not only ends Mosquito’s current season but effectively wipes out his 2021 – and he potentially may not appear at AFL level until 2022.

“This is very disappointing news for both Irving and the club, but we will rally around Irving and provide our full support to him,” Essendon general manager of football Dan Richardson said.

“Irving made an impressive debut during our Dreamtime game against Richmond and held his spot in the senior side for the past month.

“Irving will require surgery and the club will fully support him during what will likely be a traditional 12-month rehabilitation process.”

An exciting second-year forward, Mosquito debuted and played four games this season, booting two goals.