The Swans have been dealt a cruel pre-season blow with star forward Buddy Franklin undergoing knee surgery.

The 32-year old had an arthroscope this week after experiencing discomfort over the pre-season and is in doubt to play round one.

Franklin missed a large chunk of last season with a hamstring issue, booting 27 goals from his 10 games.

Sydney football boss Charlie Gardiner said the club may manage Franklin throughout the 2020 season.

โ€œWe weighed it up and felt that it was best for Lance to have a clean up now, so he underwent an arthroscope on Monday,โ€ Gardiner toldย sydneyswans.com.au.

โ€œWe may have been able to manage the knee through the year, but weโ€™re hopeful that this will mean Lance can have an uninterrupted season. He has had a similar clean up on his right knee in the past, so there are no long-term concerns.

โ€œWeโ€™re expecting Lance to resume full training in around 10 weeks, which means he remains a chance to play in round one, but we clearly canโ€™t make that call until closer to the date.โ€