Al Duhail captain Youssef Msakny has been ruled out of action for almost six months with a cruciate ligament injury.

Msakny, who played a major role in Al Duhail’s triumph in the 2017-18 season QNB Stars League, took the field from the start of the second half during their Week 22 match against Al Sailiya on Saturday, but limped off it towards the end of the game. The Red Knights won 5-2 to make their coronation memorable.

The Tunisian attacking midfielder still finished as the second-best scorer in the tournament with 25 goals, one less than team-mate and Moroccan striker Youssef El Arabi, who is also nursing an injury.

Msakny will also miss the FIFA World Cup in Russia this summer.