It has been revealed Sydney Swans forward Lance Franklin played out the season with a shoulder injury that has since required surgery.

Franklin underwent the operation on Wednesday to repair a tear in his shoulder joint.

General Manager of Football Tom Harley said Franklin will wear a sling for the next four weeks.

“Lance has had arthroscopic surgery to stabilise his shoulder after playing out the final games of the season with a torn anterior labrum,” Harley said.

“Lance showed great resilience to play out the season under duress.

“We expect he will make a full recovery and return to training in December.”

Franklin played in all four finals matches for seven goals, finishing the season with a total haul of 81 goals.

The 247-gamer took out the Paul Kelly Players' Player Award at last week's Club Champion Dinner.