Scans have revealed Melbourne midfielder Clayton Oliver sustained a fracture to his thumb in Thursday’s loss to Geelong.

Oliver will undergo surgery on Saturday and will likely be sidelined for Melbourne’s Round 18 clash with Port Adelaide.

General Manager Football Performance Alan Richardson said although disappointing, Oliver isn’t expected to be sidelined for long.

“Clayton had scans on Friday after receiving a kick to the hand against Geelong on Thursday night,” Richardson told Melbourne Media.

“Unfortunately, scan results have shown a fracture in Clayton’s thumb, which will require surgery and most likely rule him out of selection for Round 18.

“The good news is that if he does miss the game with Port, we expect he will be back and ready to go for Round 19.

“He will be able to continue his conditioning work and we will look to integrate him back into light skills following his surgery.”