Melbourne defender Colin Garland will miss the 2017 season after scans confirmed he had ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament.

The 28-year-old sustained theย injury while playing for the Casey Scorpions in a VFL practice match against Port Melbourne on Sunday.

General manager of football operations Josh Mahoney said Garland would miss the entire season after scans confirmed the worst.

โ€œUnfortunately, scans have confirmed that Col has ruptured his ACL,โ€ he told melbournefc.com.au.

โ€œHe will meet with a surgeon to discuss his options today (Monday) with the most likely option being that he will miss the year.

โ€œAfter a disappointing season, last year, Col had completed a very good pre-season and set himself up for a good season.

Garland, who has played 141 games for Melbourne, only managed six gamesย last season, after falling behind Oscar McDonald in the pecking order in defence at the Dees.