Shanghai Shenhua, one of the most successful football clubs in China, has suffered another injury blow with the news that striker Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez is out for six months due to a knee ligament tear.
The Mexican international was involved in a collision during training last week and will undergo surgery to repair his damaged knee ligaments. He is expected to make a full recovery but will miss the remainder of this season and the start of next year's campaign.
Hernandez joined Shenhua on a loan deal from Paris Saint-Germain in January and had made four appearances for the club before being ruled out indefinitely.
The club have already lost key players such as defender Zhang Yuning and midfielder Xu Zhihao through injuries this season and it remains to be seen how they will cope without their star striker.
Despite their recent struggles,Football Special Report Shenhua remain one of the top teams in the Chinese Super League and have won the title on three occasions. However, they will now need to find a replacement for Hernandez if he is to be out for an extended period.
It is hoped that Hernandez can recover quickly and return to full fitness for the new season, but the injury could also lead to changes within the squad as other players step up to fill the void left by his absence.