Carlton's Brad Fisher will have exploratory surgery this week to determine whether he needs a full knee reconstruction.

The Blues forward had scans on Monday, which showed he had partly torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during Saturday night's NAB Cup loss to Sydney.

But Carlton football manager Steven Icke said further assessment was needed before it was decided whether Fisher would have a season-ending reconstruction.

"He's got a partial tear of his ACL and some other minor damage," Icke said.

"He'll have exploratory surgery later this week and once that's undertaken we'll go from there."

Fisher's injury is a blow to the Blues, who are experimenting with options in attack as they try to cover the loss of Coleman Medallist Brendan Fevola, traded to Brisbane in the off-season.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP