MELBOURNE co-captain Jack Viney is eager to return to the playing field as soon as possible but is well aware of the damage he might do to his injured foot if he pushes too hard.

Viney has already been ruled out of the round one clash against Geelong after an injury-interrupted pre-season due to a stress fracture that developed in his foot late last season.

The 23-year-old conceded he went into the 2017 season sore and learned a valuable lesson from playing when he couldn't produce to a full capacity. 

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"I just want to have confidence in my body that I'll be able to withstand the full season," Viney told AFL.com.au at the Captains Day on Thursday.

"At the moment, I feel like I could probably play but it would linger on and potentially get worse which is something I experienced last season.

"Learning from my mistakes and reflecting on last season I don't want to be put in that position again and that's purely my reasons for taking this extra time."

Viney is not exactly sure when he will be ready to play but is targeting round two or round three for his return to the field, which will most likely come via the VFL.

"In terms of whether or not I play AFL or VFL the coaches or myself haven't come to that decision yet. It's still a couple of weeks off, there's still some things that I need to tick off before we get there," Viney said.

"I would think more than likely that I'd have to come back through the VFL because I haven't completed the majority of the pre-season."

Viney underwent surgery to relieve plantar fasciitis in his right foot after round 15 last season and missed just two games.

Upon his return, Viney developed a stress fracture in the same foot and was placed on a modified pre-season program prior to and after Christmas.