Collingwood have ruled out Daniel Wells for Friday night’s clash with the Western Bulldogs, opting to rest the 33-year-old just two games into his AFL return.

Coach Nathan Buckley says the Magpies had always been planning to manage the classy midfielder, who missed the start of the season with an achilles issue.

“It’s a six-day break, back-to-back Etihad (Stadium), third game back at AFL level … there’s plenty of circumstances that would indicate that it’s a prudent decision,” Buckley said on Wednesday.