MELBOURNE midfielder Dom Tyson has suffered a partial dislocation of his patella tendon, but is still expected to feature in the Demons' pre-season campaign.

Tyson, 23, sustained the knee injury during a challenging training camp before the Christmas break. 

"The entire playing group went through a two-day camp in the lead up to Christmas," general manager of football operations Josh Mahoney said in a statement provided to AFL.com.au.

"This camp was a highly-valued experience by the group to test them both physically and mentally.

"Unfortunately, Dom Tyson suffered a partial dislocation of the patella tendon during the camp and as a result, will miss a portion of pre-season training.

"Dom is currently in the rehab group but we expect him to return to full training and to be available for selection during the JLT Community Series." 

The Demons play their first pre-season match against reigning premiers the Western Bulldogs on February 18, before facing Carlton (February 25) and West Coast (March 9). 

Mahoney said Tyson, who finished fourth in Melbourne's best and fairest last year, had been in the midst of a strong pre-season before being struck down. 

"Dom had completed an excellent pre-Christmas period in the lead up to this camp," he said. 

"We know this is unfortunate but we are confident in Dom's ability to rehab the injury and make a strong impact for the club in the lead up to round one." 

Tyson has played 58 games for Melbourne after being traded from Greater Western Sydney – where he made 13 appearances – before the 2014 season.

His injury news comes after the Demons were buoyed by club champion Jack Viney returning to full pre-season training for the first time last week following hip surgery.