Beijing: Defender Liu Yang will miss China’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia with a recurring ankle injury.

Liu’s club Shandong Taishan announced in a statement on Monday that the left-back had suffered a recurrence of an injury to his left ankle following China’s 7-0 defeat in Japan last Thursday.

Based on the medical team’s assessment that Liu is unfit to train and play, the Chinese national team has decided to send him back to the club for further treatment, the statement added.

Li Lei is expected to fill the void left by Liu in Tuesday’s match against Saudi Arabia.

Source: The Namibia News Agency