Melbourne City are breathing a sigh of relief after star striker Ross McCormack was cleared of a season-ending knee injury.

It was feared the Scotsman had ruptured his ACL after he was forced off in the first half of Friday night's 3-1 A-League defeat to Sydney FC.

Ross McCormack's injury is not as bad as first thought. Credit:David Moir

However, it's understood scans on Sunday confirmed there was no damage to that ligament.

McCormack still requires further medical assessment to determine the full extent of the injury but it represents just about the best news he and the club could have hoped for.