Al-Ittihad of Saudi Arabia have been handed an important boost. Malian midfielder Mohamed Doumbia returned to group training on Monday after a lengthy injury absence, handing the coaching staff fresh options before the resumption of competitions, with the team desperate to bolster its midfield.
Doumbia had been out for around eight months. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee during March's match against Al-Khaleej in the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup, an injury that required surgery and a long rehabilitation programme.
The player completed his treatment and rehabilitation in the French city of Lyon, coming through the main stages of recovery before rejoining group training. Now he begins a new phase aimed at fully restoring his physical and technical sharpness.
Read also: Officially: blazing classics and derbies across 65 stormy days in the Roshn League
His return to training won't be rushed into a return to matches. The coaching staff are treating him with caution, intending to build his workload gradually to avoid piling major physical stress on him after such a long spell out.
Doumbia's comeback matters all the more given Colombian Richard Rios's ankle injury, which will sideline him for several weeks. That makes the Malian one of the options Al-Ittihad can lean on to cover the shortage in midfield.
The coaching staff hope he can rediscover his level over the coming weeks. His official participation will depend on how well he responds to the training loads and the assessment of his physical condition, with the aim of easing him back in during December.