Essendon midfielder Dylan Shiel will be sidelined for the next period after undergoing surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his knee last week. 

Shiel reported knee soreness late last week after an innocuous incident while at home with his young daughter. 

Scans late Thursday revealed the extent of the injury and that surgery was the best option. He is likely to miss the next four to six weeks of his pre-season training block.

“We’re disappointed for Dylan who has shown great progression in recent weeks following his foot injury that interrupted his 2023 season,” Essendon General Manager of Performance Dan McPherson said. 

“Our medical team did a great job to get onto this so quickly, and now with the surgery already done, we expect Dylan to be back running ahead of his pre-season return at the end of November.”

Essendon 1-4 year players will return to pre-season on Monday, November 13 with the full squad returning on Monday, November 27.