Azmoun to undergo surgery on injured ankle
Iran and Shabab Al Ahli striker Sardar Azmoun is set to undergo a surgery on his injured ankle in Dubai in the coming days.
Azmoun, 30, has been out of action since a 3-2 victory over Dibba Al Hisn on May 20 in the penultimate round of fixtures in the UAE Pro League and missed Iran’s final two games in the World Cup Asian qualifiers against Qatar and North Korea in June.
The prolific striker is expected to be sidelined for four to six weeks, facing a race against time to be part of the national team at the CAFA Nations Cup – starting August 29 in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
The second edition of the CAFA tournament will feature Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Oman, and Malaysia.
Having joined from Bayer Leverkusen last summer, Azmoun bagged 26 goals and 10 assists in 39 games across all competitions for Shabab Al Ahli in the newly-finished season – including 11 strikes in the league title-winning campaign.
Azmoun also scored eight goals, including four in the third qualification round, in the World Cup Asian qualifiers as Iran finished atop the Group A table and secured a place in next year’s finals in North America.