Ahly relief as Meteb injury not as bad as feared
Hatem Maher, Wednesday 22 Aug 2012
Ahly striker Emad Meteb will be ruled out of action for several days rather than several months


Ahly expect striker Emad Meteb to be back in action within a week after suffering a persistent back injury, having initially feared he could be out for as long as three months.

The Red Devils were worried that Meteb could need surgery that would have sidelined him for up to three months.

"Meteb has underwent many scans to find out the reasons for his recurring back pains, which forced him to miss the African Champions League game against Chelsea," Ahly doctor Ehab Ali said on the club's official website on Wednesday.

"The medical team eventually decided that there is no need for surgery. He will be given a back pain injection and will rest for four or five days, after which he should return to training.

"The surgery option was on the table but his condition was simple and did not really need that, at least for the meantime … however, we will continue to monitor his condition on a regular basis as not to take any risks," he added.

Meteb did not take part in Ahly's 1-1 Champions League draw at Ghana's Berekum Chelsea which helped them edge closer to a place in the competition's semis. They lie on top of Group B with 10 points, three ahead of TP Mazembe and five clear of Chelsea with two matches to go.

Although Ahly's squad includes several strikers, none of them has proved reliable so far, including foreign trio Dominique Da Silva, Oussou Konan and Fabio Junior.

Meteb was also absent when the Cairo giants crushed Chelsea 4-1 in the home Champions League fixture earlier this month as he was participating with Egypt's U-23 side at the London Olympic Games.

He was heavily criticized by local media for missing an open net in a group-stage game against New Zealand.

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