Martin Gleeson's foot is a mess, meaning the Essendon defender is sidelined at least until midway through the AFL season.
Gleeson suffered the injury late in Sunday's pre-season win over Geelong when he landed in a marking contest.
The Bombers had hoped he had only rolled his ankle, but scans have shown he needs surgery.
"Marty suffered a major fracture to the front of the talus and a minor dislocation to the subtalar joint in his foot," said Bombers football manager Dan Richardson.
"While this is an uncommon injury, we are fortunate he is in the safe hands of our medical team."
Gleeson had an operation on Monday morning, with orthopaedic surgeon Andrew Oppy doing the repair.
The 23-year-old has played 69 games since his 2014 debut.
Richardson said in a club statement that they expect Gleeson to be out of action for 12-14 weeks and hope he will return after the mid-season bye.
