GOLD Coast Suns midfielder Jaeger O’Meara has put his contract talks on hold in a worrying sign for the club that the young star could be considering a move elsewhere.

The club was hopeful of getting talks underway in regards to O’Meara’s future at the Suns beyond 2016 in the coming weeks as part of a bid to also lock in Tom Lynch and Dion Prestia by as early as the start of the AFL season.

But O’Meara has scuppered any chance of that, putting talks on ice in a move that will raise fears about his desire to stay at the Suns.

It is never a good sign when a player puts off contract negotiations and given O’Meara has already been linked to a move to Melbourne the Gold Coast may struggle to retain the 21-year-old.

O’Meara was taken by the Suns at pick No.1 of the 2011 mini-draft and it proved decisive with the agile ball runner being named the 2013 Rising Star as he emerged as one of the best young talents in the AFL.

O’Meara’s manager, Colin Young, ruled out any discussions until after at least Round 7 and said the delay was due to O’Meara’s focus on his knee.

“Jaeger is committed to getting through the preseason with all his rehab and then focusing on playing some good footy,” Young said.

“He is hoping to play Rounds 1 to 3 and then after maybe seven to 10 games see where it’s progressing from there.

“It’s all about his knee at the moment and getting himself right.”

O’Meara’s hesitation to start proceedings could be a blessing to both parties considering he hasn’t played in 10 months and is yet to prove his fitness after the worrying patella tendon injury.

O’Meara is preparing to enter the final phase of rehabilitation on his knee and transition back into fulltime football.

Young said the O’Meara had been very impressed with the work of Suns elite performance director Justin Cordy who joined the club in November and has been guiding his recovery.

O’Meara is on the verge of having his shackles taken off as he prepares to begin skills work in the coming weeks.

It will be a big milestone for the O’Meara who hasn’t kicked a football since injuring his knee during a practice game against the Brisbane Lions in the reserves in April last year.

O’Meara and teammate David Swallow, also recovering from a knee injury, are the only Suns players left in the rehabilitation program following last year’s injury crisis.

Swallow began his transition back into football this week, warming up with the main group, and Cordy said O’Meara wasn’t far behind.

“They can see the light at the end of the tunnel and it is genuinely exciting for both of them after what you consider to be two long-term injuries,” Cordy said.

“I know Jaeger is biting at his heels to be in the same position as David in the next week or two so the news is very positive for both of those guys.”

The duo have completed a busy rehabilitation program that has involved swimming, bush walks, riding customised scooters to strengthen the legs and sessions at popular children’s trampoline business Bounce.

The pair could join the main group at the same time as fellow midfielder Jesse Lonergan who may miss up to two weeks of training with an ankle injury.

The midfielder missed the bulk of this week’s training after hurting his right ankle during a collision with a teammate at training on Monday.

Cordy said it could be up to 10 days before Lonergan is able to run freely again.

“He had a lot of swelling because it was quite a traumatic blunt force blow to the bottom of his shin,” Cordy said.

“Because it’s a weight bearing injury I would expect he will transition back on to the legs in the next seven to 10 days.

“He has been going really well so we will treat this as a mini-break for him

“He will be able to reset and go again but we have been really impressed with his work rate, effort and energy around the group. He has been terrific.”