Essendon might be forced to shelve plans of adding promising key-position player Scott Gumbleton to their forward line this year after he suffered another injury setback.

Having just returned to football after overcoming knee and hamstring injuries, Gumbleton fractured his left collarbone playing for the Bendigo Bombers in the VFL on Sunday.

He will undergo surgery on Monday night and be sidelined for at least six weeks, but the Dons concede they might not risk the No.2 pick from the 2006 draft in what has been a frustrating season.

They had been quietly optimistic after last Friday night's win over West Coast that Gumbleton would push for senior inclusion over the next few weeks.

Coach Matthew Knights appeared hopeful the 197cm youngster would soon be available to complement a forward line based around Matthew Lloyd and Scott Lucas.

But the 19-year-old will have to wait until later this season if he is to add to the five AFL games he played late last year.

Team manager David Calthorpe said Gumbleton needed either a plate or screw to stabilise the collarbone.

But he admitted the Bombers were yet to decide if Gumbleton would definitely play this season, given they will not reach the finals.

"Scott will remain in hospital overnight and is looking at a minimum of six weeks on the sidelines," Calthorpe told Essendon's website.

"If we didn't operate it would be a three-month recovery period.

"Obviously he is feeling down as it's his third setback this year, but we believe his strong character will come through and this will only make him mentally stronger for his career ahead.

"We won't be making any decisions until the dust settles."

It was Gumbleton's second VFL game of the season after overcoming his previous injuries, and he was playing well until he was hurt in the third quarter.

Essendon made clear their high regard for Gumbleton by recently signing him to a new two-year contract.

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