Richmond recruit Chris Yarran will have a delayed start to the 2016 AFL season, requiring minor surgery to repair the plantar fascia tissue in his left foot.

Yarran has managed the injury in recent seasons, however after scans and advice from the Club’s medical staff this week, the Club decided that the minor surgery will help the running defender reach 100 per cent fitness.

Richmond’s General Manager of Football, Dan Richardson said while it’s disappointing for Yarran, both he and the Club believe the minor surgery is the best option moving forward.

“Chris has worked extremely hard on his fitness over the pre-season,” Richardson said.

“While this is a setback following a solid block of training over the past month in particular, the positive is that the surgery has a high success rate, and we look forward to Chris playing his best football for us once he fully recovers.

“At this stage, we expect this to be a six-week injury, but we’ll await further medical advice post-surgery.”

The 25-year-old arrived at Tigerland in last year’s trade period after seven years and 119 AFL games at Carlton.