Dan Hannebery has suffered a broken foot after stumbling down some stairs

The positive vibes around St Kilda’s bumper trade period have taken a hit, with Dan Hannebery breaking his foot after stumbling down some stairs.

Dan Hannebery has broken his foot and faces another delayed start to St Kilda’s pre-season.

The Herald Sun can reveal Hannebery’s latest setback came when he stumbled on some outdoor steps at his sister’s house in Perth.

The midfielder fractured a metatarsal bone in his right foot in the mid-morning accident, which occurred at the start of the week.

Hannebery, 28, will have surgery on Monday to have a pin inserted before he embarks on a six-week rehabilitation program.

The Saints are satisfied Hannebery’s latest setback is purely accidental. Club officials have confirmed Hannebery was walking up a handful of steps carrying his hat, sunglasses and other possessions when he briefly lost his footing.

The club is confident the star midfielder will start his pre-season only a fortnight behind teammates, who resume duties at Moorabbin on November 18.

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Dan Hannebery had a tough first year at the Saints. Picture: Getty Images

“It’s never a good time to suffer an injury, but given Dan’s recovery will predominantly take place while on leave, we don’t expect his pre-season to be impacted greatly,” St Kilda football manager Simon Lethlean said.

“He should be running at the start of December and training with the main group shortly after.”

While considered far from a disaster, Hannebery is understood to be frustrated by the setback given the Saints were riding a wave of positive publicity after a bumper trade period.

It also presents another pre-season headache for the three-time All Australian, whose high-profile move from Sydney this time last year was plagued by soft tissue problems.

Hannebery didn’t make his Saints debut until Round 14 and missed another five weeks a fortnight later as the club came under fire for its decision to recruit him on a five-year deal.

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Yet Hannebery showed real signs of life in the last three weeks of the season and St Kilda officials are confident this is more of a hiccup than a significant setback.

Meanwhile, St Kilda today moved to create space for its five-man trade haul with a trio of delistings.

Bailey Rice, Brandon White and Robbie Young were all told their time was up.

Senior threesome Josh Bruce, Jack Steven and Blake Acres were traded on Wednesday.