Melbourne captain Nathan Jones is confident Angus Brayshaw can revive his AFL career after being given time off to recover from repeat concussions.
The 21-year-old Brayshaw has taken an indefinite break from the game after suffering his fourth concussion in 12 months.
Melbourne have signalled they will take a conservative approach with the young gun's recovery but Jones is confident his playing days aren't over.
"He's having a small period away from the club ... as long as that is, I'm not too sure at this stage," Jones told radio station RSN927 on Tuesday.
"I guess there's a process of getting tests and seeing how that's progressing ... and whether that testing goes to another level.
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"We expect to get him back playing again."
Brayshaw, who was taken with pick No.3 in the 2014 draft, suffered his latest head knock on May 14 during a VFL match.
Concussion campaigner Peter Jess last week suggested the tough midfielder should consider retiring, telling ESPN he risked causing irreparable damage if he continued playing.
St Kilda's Sean Dempster and Melbourne's Heritier Lumumba are among the players who have walked away from the game in recent years after struggling with concussions.
However Jones said Brayshaw was in good spirits and was eager to work through his issues.
"He's got a really positive mindset about it and wants to get some luck back," Jones said.
"He's just got to get back on the bike ... practising some of his techniques, and build some confidence back again and just get out there and play."
Brayshaw missed six games last year when he was concussed twice in a short period, and later described the experience as isolating and mentally challenging.
"People can't see that anything's wrong with you but you might feel terrible on different days and it comes and goes," he told AAP in February.
"I think probably early on, it was difficult mentally to work my way into contact training, thinking about what could happen if I have another concussion ... but the club were terrific in the way they managed me."
