Al-Nassr call up seven U21 players as injuries hit Ange Postecoglou’s squad

Al-Nassr manager Ange Postecoglou has turned to the club’s under-21 side to help cover a major shortage of players caused by injuries and international commitments.

The Saudi club announced on Wednesday that 10 players were currently unavailable for training because of injury. The situation has left Postecoglou with limited options, particularly while a number of senior players are away representing their national teams.

According to Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadiya, Postecoglou has brought seven players from Al-Nassr’s under-21 team into first-team training to help address the shortage.

The players called up are goalkeepers Khalid Al-Dosari and Sultan Al-Mas, along with Yousef Al-Tahan, Abdulrahman Al-Anazi, Saad Haqawi, Bassam Hazzazi and Awad Aman.

Their involvement comes despite the under-21 side’s difficult start to the current season in the Joie Elite League. The team are 14th in the table with six points, having recorded two victories and two defeats.

Al-Nassr’s injury list includes French forward Kingsley Coman, Saad Al-Nasser, Ayman Yahya, Abdulrahman Ghareeb, Rakan Al-Ghamdi, Salem Al-Najdi, Mohammed Maran, Raghad Al-Najjar, Mubarak Al-Buainain and Sultan Al-Ghannam.

A further eight players are absent because they are with their national teams.

The Saudi contingent consists of Nawaf Al-Aqidi, Nawaf Boushal, Abdulilah Al-Amri, Abdullah Al-Hamdan and Abdullah Al-Khaibari. Portugal internationals Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Felix are also away, while Iraq midfielder Haider Abdulkarim completes the list.

The combination of injuries and international absences has forced Postecoglou to draw on players from the club’s development group, including individuals from a team currently near the bottom of the Joie Elite League standings.