Essendon defender Zach Reid is unlikely to play again this season after undergoing hamstring surgery today.

Reid sustained a hamstring injury playing in the VFL in May.

On the eve of his return to play through the VFL, Reid experienced some hamstring discomfort at training and was immediately sent for scans.

Scans revealed a reaggravation of the existing injury and after consulting the surgeon this week, it was decided that the best option for Zach was to surgically repair the injury.

GM of Performance Daniel McPherson said the club was obviously disappointed for Reid following this latest setback.

“Recent scans revealed a recurrence of the hamstring strain that he originally suffered a couple of months back. These specific types of hamstring injuries are notorious for re-injury, and despite Zach’s conservative rehab program, he unfortunately reaggravated the hamstring injury, just ahead of his planned return to play,” McPherson said.

“We will have more visibility on exactly what the recovery from surgery looks like in the next week or two, however, we will be taking a long-term view with Reidy given we see him as an important part of our future at Essendon.”