ESSENDON forward Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti has been granted a leave of absence from the club for personal reasons.

The 28-year-old has also been battling an ongoing calf injury that has disrupted his pre-season.

McDonald-Tipungwuti booted 34 goals last season but sat out the Bombers' final three games including the elimination final loss to the Western Bulldogs.

Essendon general manager of football Josh Mahoney said McDonald-Tipungwuti was a much-loved figure and the club was fully supportive of the decision.

The club has not put a timeline on his return.

"The wellbeing of our players and staff is always our priority when guiding our decision making. It was the driving force behind our decision to run a part-time program pre-Christmas which benefitted all involved in our program," Mahoney said. 

"With this in mind, we have prioritised Anthony's wellbeing in making a decision to grant him time away from the club.

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"Anthony has been very open with us about some of his personal struggles and coupled with his recovery from a calf injury, we felt this leave period was in the best interests to support Anthony.

"He is a much-loved member of our football club, and we will continue to care for, and fully support, Anthony throughout this time and we look forward to his return in the future."

McDonald-Tipungwuti has played 126 games for the Bombers since his debut in 2016.