Richmond youngster Taj Hotton will enter a rehabilitation phase after the Club discovered bone stress in his hip.

The 19-year-old, who was a strong performer in last week’s match simulation against Essendon, reported hip soreness following the game, with scans revealing the bone stress.

Richmond High Performance Manager, Ben Serpell, said that while the Club would have a clearer picture of the injury’s timeline in the coming weeks, Hotton was set to miss some football.

“Taj will begin modified weight bearing across the next 10 days to two weeks, before starting a slow progression back into running,” he added.

“We anticipate that it will be approximately six to eight weeks before he is back running and possibly four months before he is available for selection.”

Serpell said that Hotton had a diligent and managed off-season and pre-season, with the Club mindful of his loads following his recent ACL injury.

“Taj has done some really strong conditioning over both the off-season and the pre-season, and we were really pleased with how he was placed for this season,” he said.

“We know his professionalism will continue across this rehabilitation phase, and we will support him through that.”

Hotton played seven consecutive AFL games to finish his debut season last year, after returning from an ACL injury in Round 13 of the VFL season.