Hein Vanhaezebrouck hints at March return for Tarik Tissoudali | OneFootball

Speaking ahead of their upcoming Europa Conference League clash with Qarabag, Hein Vanhaezebrouck hinted that star player Tarik Tissoudali may be returning in March. As reported by Het Nieuwsblad, the Gent manager was talking about the importance of getting through to the next round. The experienced head coach said ‘There are some difficult teams but also achievable ones. If you draw a club like that, you might be in the quarter-finals and then maybe we can recover some guys like Tissoudali’. With the quarter finals set to take place in March, speculation will begin as to whether Tissoudali will also return next month.

The Moroccan international tore the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee back in July in a game against Sint-Truiden and has been out since. The 29 year-old was targeting a World Cup squad spot with the Atlas Lions, who made history by becoming the first African side to make a semi-final. The striker has made 72 appearances in all competition for the Buffaloes, scoring 34 times and providing 19 assists. Despite interest from abroad, Tissoudali recently signed a new contract with Gent that will last until 2026.

Gent have been struggling with injuries recently, with Kamil Piatkowski, Joseph Okumu, Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe, Darko Lemaijic and Mattis Samoise on the injury list.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson