A new predicament adds to Amrouta's woes

Koka's injury throws Al-Ahly's plans into disarray

Morocco's Houssine Ammouta, the technical director of Al Ahly, has suffered a fresh blow ahead of Tuesday's clash with Abu Qir Fertilizers in the fifth round of the Egyptian Premier League.

Dr Ahmed Gaballah, head of the medical staff of Al Ahly's first football team, has revealed the details of an injury to Ahmed Nabil Koka after the player underwent medical examinations in recent hours.

According to Gaballah, the MRI scan revealed a second-degree strain in the lower part of Koka's left hamstring.

The head of Al Ahly's medical staff explained, via the club's official website, that the player will follow a treatment and rehabilitation programme in the coming period, with the aim of recovering fully and regaining his physical fitness before he returns to group training.

Koka's injury piles more pressure on Al Ahly's technical staff. The fixture list is congested, and Ammouta needs as many available players as possible during the upcoming stretch of the league campaign.

Earlier, Gaballah had revealed a serious blow for Amr El-Gazzar, whose scans showed a torn anterior cruciate ligament along with a tear in the inner meniscus.

Losing Koka stings all the more because the 25-year-old had featured in every one of Al Ahly's league matches this season under Ammouta.

Ammouta had leaned on Koka in more than one position across those games, using him at times as a left-back and at others in midfield. That versatility underlines his importance to the technical staff and his ability to carry out more than one role on the pitch.

So the coaching staff must now cope without him against Abu Qir Fertilizers and find a suitable replacement, all while a lengthening injury list keeps forcing itself onto the team's calculations at the start of the season.

Al Ahly's fans wait to see how the team shapes up in the fifth round. Ammouta is chasing stability in his line-up and the results to match, even as the physical and technical demands mount with every passing fixture.