Adelaide defender Andrew McPherson is facing a delayed start to his pre-season program after going under the knife to mend a historic knee injury.
McPherson, 23, had surgery on a niggling posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury that saw his third season at West Lakes come to a close in July.
The stopper had originally embarked on a rehabilitation program to help build strength in the joint, however, after reporting pain, McPherson was sent for a second assessment.
Crows' fitness boss Darren Burgess stated that the surgery had been a success and that McPherson would be back on track soon enough.
“Andrew's rehabilitation had been progressing but he was still reporting some knee pain and this procedure will give him the best chance to be available for the start of the season,” Burgess said on Friday.
“It's expected he will return to running in 5-7 weeks and still be able to complete a significant amount of the pre-season going into 2023.”
Although McPherson had been delisted by Adelaide earlier this month, the Crows have since committed to redrafting the Woodville-West Torrens product during the upcoming rookie draft.
McPherson has worn the club's tri-colours on 28 occasions since making his AFL debut against West Coast during the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
