Double blow for Al-Nassr: Roshn Saudi League star out for six weeks!

A major shock

Al-Nassr suffered a double blow before the resumption of the Roshn League, after one of its young players picked up an injury that will keep him off the pitch for several weeks. The effects stretch across both the first team and the under-21 side, according to the Saudi newspaper "Arriyadiyah".

Medical examinations on Rakan Al-Ghamdi, the 21-year-old Al-Nassr player, revealed a sprained knee ligament and a bruised cartilage. His expected absence ranges between four and six weeks.

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Timing could hardly be crueller for Al-Ghamdi, who had been earning his chance with the first team. Australian coach Ange Postecoglou handed him his debut in the second half against the UAE's Al-Ain in the opening round of the AFC Champions League Elite, a match that ended in a 4-0 defeat for Al-Nassr.

The loss did not stop at the first team. Al-Ghamdi was also part of the under-21 side, and he picked up the injury during the last training session before the clash with Damac last Friday, a match that ended in a 1-0 win for Al-Nassr in the Joy League Elite competition.

So Al-Nassr lose a player who had started to edge into the first team's plans, while the youth side loses him at a stage when it needs every man available. The injury lands as a double blow across both teams, all the more so with the absence stretching to a month or more.

First-team players are expected back in training on Monday evening, after the technical staff granted them leave following the end of the Asian clash. Al-Nassr, meanwhile, prepare to resume their Roshn League campaign after the break with a clash against Al-Diriyah on 9 October at Al-Awwal Park, in the eighth round.

Third place in the Roshn League table is where Al-Nassr currently sit, on 16 points, two behind leaders Al-Hilal. Al-Ghamdi's injury adds to the technical staff's headaches in the coming period, especially as the player had begun to get a chance with the first team alongside his appearances for the under-21 side.