RIYADH: Al-Hilal and the Saudi national football team have been dealt a major blow with news that Salem Al-Dossari will be sidelined for up to four weeks as he recovers from a recent injury.

According to Al-Hilal, medical tests confirmed that the 30-year-old winger had torn a joint ligament.

Al-Dossari will now miss the club’s matches against Al-Shabab and Al-Hazem in the sixth and seventh rounds of the Saudi Pro League, and the Asian qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup against Japan and China on Oct. 7 and 12, respectively.

His participation in Al-Hilal’s AFC Champions League quarterfinal against Iran’s Persepolis on Oct. 16, however, will depend on how quickly his injury responds to treatment.

Al-Dossari was injured during his team’s 3-2 victory over Al-Ettifaq in their last SPL match.

Meanwhile, Al-Hilal captain Salman Al-Faraj on Monday edged closer to a first team return with another training session with the club’s youth team, but Peruvian forward Andre Carrillo was still three to four weeks away from a full recovery.

The reigning champions will meet Al-Shabab in the sixth round of the 2021-22 SPL season matches at King Fahd International Stadium on Thursday.