Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd says he feels for Bombers captain Zach Merrett, who is feeling disappointed in the club after another poor season.
Reported by journalist Damian Barret on Nine's Footy Classified, Merrett reportedly had a 'high degree of disillusionment' with the club following their 15th place finish.
While Merrett is contracted until the end of the 2027 season, his name may come up again when the trade period starts.
Lloyd, who won the 2000 premiership at the Bombers, said he can understand the thought process that Merrett may be feeling at the club.
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"He's given his all for that club," Lloyd said on Footy Classified.
"He'll have as good a record as anyone that's ever played for the club with best and fairests and what he's achieved there.
"But you get to an age of 30, where he's at, and he'd be thinking to himself, 'Well, am I running out of time? Are we going to see a winning final? Are we going to see a premiership in the next five years I've got left?'"
Lloyd added that he didn't know if Merrett would ask for a trade, but would understand the reasoning behind it.
"I don't know how close it would be to requesting a trade... because we've heard [of] disenchantment for a number of years out of Zach Merrett's camp," Lloyd said.
"I can understand his frustration."
Merrett has won the Bombers' best and fairest five times and has been named All-Australian three times during his 251 games at the club.