SCANS have confirmed Collingwood forward Dan McStay has suffered a medial collateral ligament strain to his left knee.

McStay was substituted out of the Magpies' 41-point win over Essendon on Anzac Day after hurting his knee in the fourth quarter.

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Initially there were fears the 29-year-old had ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), as he did in late 2023, but scans on Saturday confirmed a moderate grade MCL injury that will see him miss up to eight weeks.

While McStay has avoided a second reconstruction, it's still a significant blow to the Magpies.

"Unfortunately, scans confirmed this morning that Dan has sustained a moderate grade MCL injury during yesterday's Anzac Day match against Essendon. The injury is expected to see him out of the game for the next six to eight weeks," Magpies footy manager Charlie Gardiner said.

"This is obviously a disappointing set back for Dan who has been in good form and has played a really important role for the team so far this season. 

"Dan is an absolute professional and has shown a remarkable ability to bounce back from injury and setbacks across his career so we are confident he’ll play an important role for us in the second half of the season."

It continues a horror run for McStay, who sustained an MCL injury to his right knee on the eve of Collingwood's 2023 Grand Final, before rupturing his ACL in his left knee in December the same year. 

McStay was quiet in tough conditions during Collingwood's win over the Bombers, which saw it improve to 6-1.