Salem Al-Dawsari returns to Al Hilal as rehabilitation enters new stage

Al Hilal captain Salem Al-Dawsari has returned to the club’s training headquarters to continue his rehabilitation, nearly six weeks after undergoing surgery on his hamstring tendons.

The Saudi Arabian club confirmed the winger’s return on Tuesday, in a development that brings him closer to a comeback after injury ruled him out of matches and prevented him from taking part in full team training.

Al Hilal published a video on its official account on X showing Al-Dawsari inside the club’s facilities as he began the next phase of his recovery programme. The 34-year-old had spent the previous period completing treatment following surgery, but is now set to work through a more advanced stage under the supervision of the club’s medical staff.

His immediate programme will include sessions in the fitness and conditioning gym, with the aim of gradually improving his physical condition and progressing his rehabilitation. He is expected to move on to ball work at a later stage, depending on how his recovery develops.

Al Hilal said Al-Dawsari has now completed about six weeks since the operation. He is expected to require a further two to four weeks before he is able to return to full participation, although the precise timetable will depend on medical assessments.

If the rehabilitation programme progresses without any setbacks, Al-Dawsari could return to competitive action after the next international break. He would then be expected to rebuild his match sharpness before being gradually reintroduced to the plans of the coaching staff.

The player underwent surgery on his hamstring tendons in July. Initial estimates suggested he would be unavailable for at least six to eight weeks, meaning he is now approaching the period originally identified as a possible return window.

Al-Dawsari is one of Al Hilal’s key players and captains the club, but his injury has kept him away from the squad during the recovery period. His return to the club’s headquarters does not yet represent a return to matches, with the next steps dependent on his response to training and further medical evaluations.

For now, the focus is on completing the gym-based work and ensuring that his fitness improves progressively before he resumes football-specific exercises. A successful completion of those stages would allow Al-Dawsari to begin the final part of his comeback and move closer to a return to Al Hilal’s matchday squad.