Talented, young Richmond utility Nathan Drummond will require a knee reconstruction after scans revealed he had ruptured the ACL in his left knee while playing for the Tigers’ VFL team in last Saturday’s clash with Sandringham at Trevor Barker Beach Oval.

It’s another major setback for Drummond, who ruptured the ACL in his other knee on senior debut with Richmond during the 2015 Anzac Day Eve match against Melbourne.

Drummond returned to senior action with the Tigers in Round 18 last year and played four games all-up for the season.

The hard-running 22-year-old had been showing promising signs across the backline at VFL level over the past few weeks.

“It’s really disappointing for the lad,” said Richmond coach Damien Hardwick.

“He’s a great kid . . . it’s a real credit to his parents the character and the resilience he has.

“He’s done it before, and the diligence that he went through with his recovery was enormous . . .

“We’ve got complete faith in the kid that he’ll get back on and get to it, the way he did his rehab last time. 

“We think he’s going to be a quality player . . . We were really pleased with his progression. 

“It’s a long way back from a knee ‘reco’, but we’re very confident with the type of kid he is that he’ll get back and play some good footy for us at some stage.”