Cristiano Ronaldo misses training ahead of Abha vs Al-Nassr clash
After the massive win against Al Tai, Cristiano Ronaldo missed Al Nassr's group training sessions. Standing second in the Saudi Pro League table, the Knights of Najd will face Abha on Wednesday, April 3.
The news of Cristiano's absence from training was reported by Saudi Arabian journalist Ali Al-Enezi. However, he mentioned that the reason was not because of any injury suffered by the Portuguese star.
Cristiano Ronaldo suffered fatigue in the last fixture, where he scored his 64th career hat-trick. Following that, he has reportedly trained alone and practiced recovery exercises to recover quickly.
While Cristiano is on the way to recovery, there is some good news for Al Nassr as two of their crucial players returned to training recently. Right-back Sultan Al Ghannam and midfielder Abdullah Al Khaibari, who missed the last fixture, have recovered from their respective injuries.
Al Nassr have a packed schedule ahead of them, with a crucial match every three days. After the match against Abha on Wednesday, they are to face Damac on April 6, 2024, followed by a semi-final match against Al Hilal on April 9, 2024, in the Saudi Super Cup.
While two of Al Nassr's players are back in training, it remains unknown if manager Luis Castro will bring on Sultan Al Ghannam and Abdullah Al Khaibari in the match against Abha. The club's medical team has reportedly issued a warning regarding Al Ghannam and has decided not to hurry his return to ensure that he is totally fit for the upcoming Al Hilal clash.
Cristiano Ronaldo wins Player Of The Month award for Saudi Pro League
Cristiano Ronaldo bagged the Player Of The Month award in the Saudi Pro League for March. Since his debut, he has scored 40 goals in 39 appearances, including three hat-tricks, in the Saudi Pro League for Al Nassr.
After netting his 64th career hat trick on Sunday, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner posted about the victory on social media and wrote:
"This is how we do it ✋🏽 Amazing victory and another hat-trick!"
This marks the fifth time Cristiano Ronaldo has received the Saudi Pro League Player Of The Month award, with the first one being in February 2023.