The swelling on Omar Abdulrahman’s knee is so severe that Al Hilal have been unable to perform an X-ray to ascertain whether the UAE’s superstar playmaker will miss January 2019’s Asian Cup.
Abdulrahman, 27, jarred his right leg in a collision with Romania defender Valerica Garman when stretching for a cross in just the fifth minute of Saturday evening’s 1-0 win at Al Shabab Riyadh in the Saudi Professional League.
He immediately clutched the affected area in agony, was taken away for medical treatment and pictured crying on the substitutes’ bench after Saudi Arabia midfielder Abdullah Otyaf replaced him.
Developments were eagerly awaited on Sunday across the border, with less than three months remaining until the Emirates hosts the continental tournament for a second time. Patience, however, will be required before a definitive prognosis is known about reported damage to his anterior cruciate ligament.
“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,” the SPL champions tweeted.
The UAE are set to kick-off their campaign on January 5 against Bahrain at Zayed Sports City.
‘Amoory’ is their talisman and a winner of the AFC Player of the Year award in 2016. His talents saw a move to Premier League giants Manchester City from Al Ain scuppered only by work-permit issues following a successful trial after the London 2012 Olympics.
Worryingly, he has a history of knee problems. A second surgery on his ACL saw him miss the first half of the 2011/12 season, while 2014/15 was also blighted with similar issues.
Abdulrahman’s plight alerted Turki Al-Sheikh, the all-powerful chairman of the General Sports Authority in Saudi Arabia.
📃 أوضح الفحص السريري الذي خضع له لاعب فريق #الهلال الأول لكرة القدم الإماراتي "عمر عبدالرحمن"، حاجته لإجراء أشعة على موضع إصابته في الركبة سيجريها يوم بعد غد الثلاثاء؛ نظرًا لوجود تورّم في الركبة. pic.twitter.com/PHd8tkddaD
— نادي الهلال السعودي (@Alhilal_FC) October 21, 2018
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.”
Since his summer move to boyhood club Hilal, he’s got one assist and one goal during five SPL starts under ex-Sporting Lisbon and Benfica boss Jorge Jesus.
