Postponement of the Asian Cup saved him: date set for Nawaf Al-Aqidi's return to Al-Nassr
Press reports have revealed the date of the return of Nawaf Al-Aqidi, goalkeeper of Al-Nassr and the Saudi national team, to feature in matches during the coming period, after the serious injury he sustained in the recent period.
Al-Oqaidi hurt his elbow during Saudi Arabia's 1-0 win over Kuwait last September at the Al-Inmaa Stadium in Jeddah, in the opening round of the group stage at the 27th edition of the Arabian Gulf Cup, "Gulf Cup 27".
The injury ruled the Saudi goalkeeper out of the rest of the tournament. He also missed the November international break, and he had already been sidelined at Al-Nassr throughout the preceding period.
Surgery on the elbow followed in the British capital London on 16 October, after which Al-Oqaidi began his road back to the pitch.
According to the Saudi newspaper Arriyadiyah, Nawaf Al-Oqaidi has started his treatment and rehabilitation programme at the Aspetar centre in the Qatari capital Doha, with the aim of returning to action in the coming period.
The newspaper says the Saudi goalkeeper will need between four and six weeks on the programme, training for three hours a day, before his doctor assesses him.
Once that assessment is complete, the treating doctor will decide whether the Al-Nassr goalkeeper can return to training and matches as normal, or whether he needs to extend his rehabilitation.
All of this unfolds under constant monitoring from Al-Nassr's medical staff, working in coordination with the Saudi national team's medics, as the national team's account on X revealed earlier.
Realistically, Al-Oqaidi will not be back before roughly the end of this coming December. That would have seen him miss the 2027 AFC Asian Cup had it gone ahead on its original date.
Saudi Arabia were set to host the 2027 AFC Asian Cup from 7 January to 5 February, with 24 teams taking part.
The Asian Football Confederation, however, decided to push the tournament back so that it now starts in December of next year and runs until January 2028, owing to the logistical circumstances Saudi Arabia were facing.
That delay could be a ray of light for Nawaf Al-Oqaidi. He will work to return at the start of next year, win back his first-team place with Al-Nassr and force his way back into the Saudi Arabia squad.
Worth remembering, too, is that Al-Oqaidi has not managed to nail down a starting spot at Al-Nassr since the season began, sitting behind Brazilian goalkeeper Bento before the injury took him out of the picture entirely.
