UAE's attacking midfielder Omar Abdulrahman suffered a major knee injury while trying to reach for a pass in the fifth minute and colliding with Romanian defender Valerica Garman during a league game against Al Shabab Riyadh. The player would undergo further scans on Tuesday to determine the extent of his injury.
The Al Hilal player was in tears after he was stretchered off the field. Abu Dhabi Sports later reported that Abdulrahman might have suffered a medium tear in his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. He was leaving the stadium in crutches after the match.
Although the scans were scheduled for Monday, it was postponed by a day as there continues to be excessive swelling on his right knee.
"The clinical examination of the Emirati football player Omar Abdulrahman showed that he needed to have an X-ray on his knee, which will be carried out on Tuesday because of the swelling of the knee,” Al Hilal tweeted.
Getty
He is one of the integral members of the UAE squad and Alberto Zaccheroni must now be a worried man. He bagged the 2016 Asian player of the year and was in sublime form after his loan move to Al-Hilal this summer. He even scored in UAE's 1-1 draw against Honduras in Barcelona during the last international break.
The 27-year old has suffered a string of knee injuries in the past and has twice gone under the knife.
It is certain that he is going to miss UAE's next national camp in November when the squad reconvenes in Dubai to continue their preparations for the Asian Cup. Turki Al Sheikh, the head of Saudi Arabia's General Sports Authority, has assured that the player would receive the best possible treatment.
He tweeted: “I directed the specialists in the Sports Authority to coordinate with the management of Al Hilal and treat ‘Amoory’ urgently in the best places in the world. God heal him, and God willing he will return soon.”
Abdulrahman now faces a race against time to get fit before UAE's first game against Bahrain on January 5, 2019.
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)
