ST KILDA forward Max King has undergone surgery on his hamstring in a bid to fix his ongoing fitness troubles.

AFL.com.au can reveal the Saints goalkicker has in recent days gone in for surgery to his hamstring after straining it in his return game against North Melbourne in round 20.

The Saints are confident that King will resume training on day one of their pre-season and be able to complete an off-season program as well, with the choice for surgery last week giving more assurances for his recovery and rehabilitation in this period.

Last week, when the Saints ruled King out of the remainder of the season following the latest setback, the club said it was focused on getting the marking forward back for the start of their pre-season campaign, and that remains their plan.

"He's an incredibly important part of our football club. We'll continue to wrap our arms around him and provide all the support he needs as he works through this latest setback," Saints football boss Lenny Hayes said last week.

"Our focus now turns to ensuring Max undertakes a full pre-season to allow him to get back and play consistent senior football in 2027."

King felt hamstring tightness in the third quarter of his first AFL game in more than two years and was withdrawn, with further scans later revealing he required surgery.

That had followed an intense training block following his previous hamstring strain suffered while playing at VFL level, which included more than a fortnight on the Gold Coast working with an out-of-club rehabilitation specialist during what ended up being a 12-week layoff between VFL and AFL games.

King has played 84 games across his injury-hit career, with the Saint contracted to the end of 2032. Coach Ross Lyon last week confirmed the club would stick by King through his latest injury challenge and was not interested in any discussion around King needing a fresh start elsewhere.