Al-Ahli’s marquee summer-signing Roberto Firmino is set to be sidelined for an extended period of time after sustaining a hamstring injury.
Firmino had completed his move to Jeddah last month and made a sensational start to his Saudi Pro League career scoring a hat-trick on his debut against newly-promoted Al-Hazm.
However, the Brazilian’s momentum came to an unfortunate halt as he will miss their upcoming Saudi Pro League encounter against Al-Khaleej.
The club released an official statement confirming Firmino’s injury but have not included a return date for the 31-year-old forward.
“Roberto Firmino has suffered a hamstring injury during the team’s recent training,” Al-Ahli said in an official statement.
“Head coach Matthias Jaissle decided to rest the player for their next game against Al-Khaleej and will follow up with the medical staff on a return timeline.”
Local reports have also confirmed that the extent of Firmino’s injury could prompt the club to search in the market for a backup striker.
Al-Ahli will now have to do without Firmino in their next league game but the 2015-16 champions should have enough attacking options to compensate for his absence.
With a summer spending of over £100 million, Al-Ahli managed to sign Edouard Mendy, Allan Saint-Maximin, Franck Kessié, and Riyad Mahrez.
Former Juventus defender Merih Demiral is also said to be close to completing a move to Al-Ahli from Atalanta after turning down unnamed Premier League sides.
On the other hand, Al-Khaleej also have their share of injuries with their recent arrival Mohamed Sherif not declared fit for the game on Thursday.