Youssef Belammari Injury Scare for Al Ahly's Pre-Season

Al Ahly’s pre-season plans took an unwelcome twist in Spain on Wednesday after Moroccan winger Youssef Belammari suffered a knee sprain during a friendly against Spanish side Badalona.

The match, played at the "Bosc de Tosca" municipal stadium as part of the Red Devils’ preparations for the new campaign, was meant to be another quiet step in a long build-up. Instead, it ended with one of their January signings heading to hospital.

Al Ahly announced through their official channels that Belammari was taken for medical examinations and X-rays immediately after the injury. The scans will determine the extent of the damage and how long the 26-year-old will be out of action, with the club waiting on a clear diagnosis before setting any timeline for his return to training or matches.

The medical team will use the results to clarify the exact nature of the sprain and whether Belammari faces a short layoff or a prolonged spell of treatment and rehabilitation before he can rejoin competitive action.

It is an untimely concern for a club desperate to reset its trajectory. Al Ahly are under pressure to respond after a barren season in which they failed to claim a single major title, both domestically and on the continental stage. Every training session, every friendly, has been framed as part of a wider attempt to restore their usual dominance.

Belammari, signed from Raja Casablanca last January on a three-and-a-half-year deal, was brought in as part of that rebuild, a fresh piece in a squad expected to look sharper and more ruthless this time around.

Now Al Ahly wait for the scans, hoping this early bump in pre-season doesn’t grow into a problem that lingers deep into a campaign they can’t afford to waste.