St Kilda gun Max King has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after undergoing more surgery on his troublesome knee.

King hasn’t managed to play a game this year as he deals with a range of issues in his knee.

The 24-year-old underwent an exploratory arthroscope on his right knee on the eve of Round 1 that the club initially said won’t cause major delays to the key forward’s season.

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But he has since suffered multiple setbacks, prompting the club to put him under the knife again.

It means King will not have played a match since signing a monster eight-year contract extension through to the end of 2032.

St Kilda conceded King’s injury has “confounded many experts”, but are confident the latest surgery will give him the best chance of playing in 2026 and beyond.

“Max’s case has not been simple nor linear, and we’ve attempted to adequately keep our members and fans up to date while maintaining Max’s privacy. We have also been dealing with a medical situation that has often confounded the many medical experts we have consulted,” general manager of football David Misson said.

“About 10 days ago, as Max was closing in on a return to football, he felt a clunking in his knee — the same knee that has been causing him trouble throughout this season.

“This was as surprising as it was frustrating, as all indications were that Max’s most recent arthroscope had addressed this issue.

“Following further consultations and imaging last week and over the weekend, we feel the cause of Max’s issue has been pinpointed and that damage to the medial aspect of his knee, in certain situations, was impeding his movement and causing pain.”

Misson said King will be off legs for several months.

“The operation aimed to address and repair this issue. It will see Max off-legs for several months, however, will allow him to be ready for the commencement of pre-season,” he continued.

“Max’s grit and resilience has remained incredibly strong and steadfast throughout this challenging time, and he heads into this period of rehab with the whole club behind him.”

King has kicked 159 goals from 83 matches since been taken with pick No.4 in the 2018 draft.

After an injury-interrupted start to his AFL career, King enjoyed a breakout season in 2022 with 52 goals.

But injuries restricted him to just 11 games in 2023 and 12 last year.