Adelaide veteran David Mackay will have knee surgery in a bid to be fit for the start of the AFL pre-season.
The 32-year-old, who last week signed a one-year deal to extend his 230-game career, will have arthroscopic surgery to drain a left knee bursa.
Mackay had a similar procedure early last month but suffered swelling in the troublesome knee.
Adelaide’s chief medical officer Marc Cesana expects the latest surgery to allow Mackay to start pre-season training with his teammates in January.
“(We) decided with a small window of opportunity before pre-season starts … a procedure could be performed,” Cesana said in a statement on Tuesday,
Mackay’s rehabilitation was expected to last four to five weeks.
Adelaide’s full squad of players return to training on January 6 while first-to-fourth year players resume from December 7.