Al Ahli to miss nine players for pre-season camp

Dubai - Goalkeeper Majed Naser, striker and AFC Player of the Year Ahmed Khalil, defenders Abdulaziz Haikal, Abdelaziz Sanqour and Walid Abbas, midfielders Habib Al Fardan, Ismail Al Hammadi and Khamis Ismail are part of the 25-man UAE squad, which will be travelling for a training camp in Spain on Sunday, while Majed Hassan is recovering from a knee surgery

Arabian Gulf League champions Al Ahli will miss a large chunk of their first team regulars for their pre-season training camps because of international duty and injury.
The Red Knights are set to embark on a pre-season sojourn to Italy and Germany and will be without nine key players. The Al Quasis club, who are set to fly out to Italy on July 20, will not feature goalkeeper Majed Naser, striker and AFC Player of the Year Ahmed Khalil, defenders Abdulaziz Haikal, Abdelaziz Sanqour and Walid Abbas, midfielders Habib Al Fardan, Ismail Al Hammadi and Khamis Ismail. The eight players are part of the 25-man UAE squad, who will be travelling for a training camp in Spain on Sunday. Defensive midfielder Majed Hassan, who underwent a knee surgery in France and has been ruled out for five to six months, is undergoing rehabilitation.
The rest of the players will assemble for pre-season medical examinations on July 16 and the tests will run until July 19. The examinations will be held under the supervision of the club doctor Frenchman Jean Marc Laborderie and Mohamed Saleh.
Head coach Cosmin Olaroiu and his coaching staff will join the squad, which will leave for a pre-season training camp to Italy on July 20. The camp in Italy will run until August 5. Thereafter, the squad will travel to Munich, Germany and have another camp before returnin to Dubai on August 20.
The Red Knights are scheduled to play five friendlies while in Italy and Germany.
Al Ahli start the new season with a Arabian Gulf Cup fixture against Al Nasr at the Al Maktoum Stadium in the first week of September. They then take on President's Cup winners Al Jazira in the Arabian Gulf Super Cup on September 12. The Red Knights then kick off their Arabian Gulf League title defence against Emirates at the Rashid Stadium mid-September.
james@khaleejtimes.com