CAIRO: A cruciate ligament complaint is naturally annoying but Borussia Dortmund’s Mohamed Zidan looked very worried, apparently more than expected, when he was asked about the serious injury he sustained in a Bundesliga game.
The Egypt striker, who also excels as a deep-lying forward, was in the form of his life when he fell down unchallenged in Dortmund’s 1-1 draw with Hoffenheim last week.
His initial fears were realized as he ruptured a cruciate knee ligament, an injury that will rule him out of action for around six months.
Zidan hardly sounded an optimistic tone during a telephone interview with Modern TV on Sunday.
"You cannot imagine how worried I am. I can’t sleep," the 28-year-old said.
"I hope all Egyptian fans would pray for me. I’m determined to do my best to fully recover as soon as possible but I’m very worried."
Modern presenter Medhat Shalabi, who is also the spokesman of the Egyptian Football Association, tried to calm him down.
He told Zidan that several Egyptian players managed to overcome the adverse effects of the injury, citing Egypt striker Emad Meteb as an example.
Meteb injury was not similar to Zidan’s though, it was less serious.
The Ahli man had an interstitial tear in the lateral collateral ligament while playing on loan at Saudi giants Ittihad last year.
However, Shalabi’s attempt appeared to have bore fruit.
"Most of Egypt’s technical staff members and my teammates phoned me to support me after this injury," Zidan said in a more upbeat tone.
Zidan scored six league goals and dished out many assists to help Dortmund push for a place in next season’s Champions League.
His injury dealt a major blow to Dortmund’s chances of playing in the elite competition for the first time since 2004.
It also seems to have ended his chances of moving to a bigger European team after reports linked him with several high-profile clubs, including English Premier side Arsenal.
"The dream I have of playing in the Premier League will not fade. I will be stronger and better next season. I will fight to even join Barcelona rather than Arsenal," Zidan concluded.
