Al Nassr’s concerning revelation: Cristiano Ronaldo injury worse than first feared

Medical checks on Cristiano Ronaldo have picked up a suspected knee injury that could leave the Portuguese out for some time

There is worrying news for Al Nassr and Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portuguese superstar picked up a concerning injury in the win over Al Fayha on Saturday. The veteran forward asked to be replaced late in the game and it had been presumed fatigue was the reason.

However, precautionary medical examinations carried out by the club have since revealed that there is more serious cause for concern.

More than just fatigue for Cristiano Ronaldo

Immediately after the game, Al Nassr manager Jorge Jesus put the substitution down to Ronaldo needing a rest, especially given his recent lack of action due to striking in protest against the PIF. Ronaldo missed a penalty in the 3-1 victory and requested that Jesus take him off with about 10 minutes remaining.

“He felt some muscular fatigue,” said Jesus after the game.

“After going ahead, I didn’t want to take any risks and he was replaced.

“The medical team will take a look at it, but he felt it was just tired muscles.”

Al Nassr’s concerning revelation

While no timeline has been put on his absence from action, Al Nassr have confirmed that the 41-year-old sustained a knee tendon injury that could see a lengthy spell out on the sidelines.

“Cristiano Ronaldo suffered an injury in his knee tendon during the game against Al Fayha,” read an Al Nassr statement.

“The player has begun the rehabilitation process and his condition will be monitored day by day.”

Cristiano Ronaldo’s history with knee injuries

What makes the revelation of the nature of Ronaldo’s injury more worrying for himself, his club and possibly even the Portuguese national team, is that he has had persistent trouble with this kind of injury in his left knee since the 2013/14 season.

In their statement, Al Nassr didn’t go into details or confirm whether this was indeed the same tendon that has given him trouble in the past.

Since first picking up that chronic tendinosis injury in 2014, Ronaldo has managed it well, worked hard on his conditioning and even adapted his game to remain available and effective.

The nature of these injuries, however, is that they get worse over time and the concern now is that it may be finally catching up with him.

There is currently no suggestion that Ronaldo’s participation in this summer’s World Cup could be at risk, but at his age, the flaring up of a chronic injury is something to take seriously. When the issue first reared it’s head in 2014, he missed about a month of action for Real Madrid.