Omar Abdulrahman’s hopes of appearing in January’s Asian Cup remain alive after the UAE playmaker was diagnosed with just a badly-bruised right ankle.
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Worries grew that the 23-year-old had picked up another serious injury when he limped off in pain during the 26th minute of Sunday’s 3-2 Gulf Cup semi-final loss to hosts Saudi Arabia.
The concern centred around a possible reoccurrence of the knee ligament issue which saw him miss the two months prior to Khaleej 22. A similar problem would have created severe doubts about his participation in the continent’s elite international competition.
According to the UAE Football Association, Abdulrahman was taken to National Guard Hospital in Riyadh following the last-four clash. Preliminary tests, including x-rays, deduced there had been no fracture.
His right foot was placed in a cast, with the player set to remain on crutches prior to further evaluations being made in the next two days. There appears no prospect of featuring in tonight’s third-place play-off against Oman.
Speaking after the Saudi game, Whites boss Mahdi Ali remained hopeful about his star midfielder’s condition.
Abdulrahman was the victim of several heavy challenges in the opening stages of the clash with the Green Falcons.
The injury occurred when defensive midfielder Waleed Rashid felled him from behind, bringing a juddering halt to a darting run.