Carlton defender Zac Williams will miss the entire 2023 AFL season after rupturing his ACL at training on Friday.

On Saturday the Blues confirmed the Wiradjuri star was sent for scans after injuring his knee and the results will see him sidelined for 12 months.

He is due for surgery this week before an extended period of rehabilitation.

On Sunday, Williams took to Instagram to thank the support networks around him in the wake of the news.

"Would like to say thanks to everyone from my family, friends, teammates, Carlton faithful for all the support over (the) last 48 hours," he wrote.

"Very grateful for all the care shown, and no doubt that care will get me through next 12 months to come back bigger and better.

"Super excited to see my teammates play some really exciting football this year. No doubt they will dominate this year."

It's a cruel blow for Williams, as well as the Blues, after he missed the bulk of the 2022 season following a high-grade calf strain against Greater Western Sydney in round nine.

His departure from the side coincided with the club's wobbles and eventual slide down the ladder after an bright start to their campaign.

In his absence Carlton lost Williams's trademark rebounding out of defence, particularly given the string of injuries to their back six, which derailed what had looked like a certain march into the top eight.

The 28-year-old returned for his side's heartbreaking round 23 one-point loss to arch-rivals Collingwood, which saw the Blues miss out on finals in one of the most dramatic finishes to the home-and-away season in recent memory.

Williams crossed over from GWS after signing a six-year deal ahead of the 2021 season.

He's managed 14 games since arriving at the Blues.

"These incidents are so unfortunate and we are all feeling for Zac, he could not have done any more this pre-season to get himself ready for the year," Carlton head of football Brad Lloyd said.

"He will undergo surgery to repair his ACL and from there, we will put a rehabilitation program in place for him over the next 12 months.

"He has had more than his fair share of bad luck with injury Zac but in that time he has built up a lot of resilience, which he will no doubt tap into, as we all support him on his road to recovery from here."

Williams has played 136 senior games since debuting in 2013.