Egypt’s injured defender Hegazi to return to Ittihad in January: Report

Ahmed Abd El Rasoul , Tuesday 29 Aug 2023

Egypt’s defender Ahmed Hegazi is set to rejoin the trainings of his Saudi club Ittihad Jeddah in January, Saudi newspaper Arriadiyah reported on Tuesday.

File photo: Ahmed Hegazi celebrates winning the Saudi Professional League with Ittihad Jeddah fans. Hegazi s official Twitter account

The 32-year-old player and team captain had successful surgery on the cruciate ligament of his left knee earlier in June in London.

The injury to the enormous central defender occurred during Ittihad's 3-0 victory against Al-Fayha FC on 27 May, keeping him out of the Saudi Professional League championship match against Al-Tai FC.

“Hegazi has ended the second phase of his rehabilitation programme and he will be available for the trainings starting from next January,” an unnamed source told the newspaper.

“The club coach Nuno Santo is monitoring the player’s case with the club doctor, meanwhile the Egyptian international is thinking of completing his rehab programme outside Saudi Arabia to get a speedy recovery,” the source added.

The future of the Pharaohs star has recently come into question amid rumours that the Saudi club is looking for a successor as he is expected to miss a significant amount of time due to injury.

Since joining Ittihad from former English Premier League club West Bromwich in October 2020, Hegazi has been an essential part of the team.

He was listed as one of the top 11 players in the Saudi title for the 2022–2023 season, and his presence helped Ittihad win the league.

(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)