Walsall's Maz Kouhyar out for months with knee rupture

The 21-year-old suffered the injury in training last week just 24 hours after returning from international duty with Afghanistan.

Kouhyar will have an operation on his knee in the next three weeks before then undergoing an extensive rehabilitation programme.

The injury is similar to the one fellow Saddlers midfielder Joe Edwards suffered last year. But club physio Marc Czuczman is confident Kouhyar will make a full recovery.

“Maz got back from international duty last week and the next day suffered a non-contact injury to his right knee,” he said.

“He planted his foot at speed to change direction and his knee flexed. He felt a sharp pain and collapsed straight away.

“We got him checked straight away and it was confirmed he had ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament.

“He may have also torn the medial and lateral meniscus.

“No two injuries are the same but we will follow the same path we did with Joe Edwards.

“We have booked Maz in with the same surgeon. He faces a long time out.

“But we know how to treat these injuries and we are confident we can get him fit and fully firing in eight to 10 months.”

Kouhyar is out of contract in the summer and it is not yet known if he will be offered a new deal. But whatever his future holds, he will complete his rehabilitation with Czuczman.

“We have a duty of care to all our player and I will look after him no matter what,” Czuczman continued.

“Maz is a smashing kid and someone who is really switched on.

“He is being as positive as he can be. He understands football and knows an injury can happen at any time.

“Maz is one of those people who always wants to do more. He is a worker.

“He is not someone who I am going to have to motivate, he is one I will have to put the reins on to protect him from doing too much. That’s exactly what you want.

“He will do everything he can to get fit again.”