When the Qatar Stars League resumed on 24 July, many footballers returned to action having undergone injury recoveries during the five months that the competition was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. A number were treated at Aspetar, the orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital in the city of Doha.

Al-Sadd skipper Al-Haydos back for Xavi's side

Al-Sadd SC captain Hassan Al-Haydos, who suffered an injury during an AFC Champions League game in February, underwent treatment at Aspetar, helping him to return to the pitch and score his side’s winning goal against Al-Ahly in the most recent round of league games. The victory saw Xavi Hernández’s side pick up three points that boosted their bid to catch second-placed Al-Rayyan.

Meanwhile, Al-Sadd team-mates Salem Al-Hajri and Ali Assad are both completing their recoveries from Achilles tendon injuries at Aspetar, as part of an intense treatment programme designed by the hospital’s experts.

Al-Rayyan's Alaa and Al-Arabi pair all recover at Aspetar

Right-back Mohamed Alaa has returned to the ranks at Al-Rayyan after an absence of almost six months. Having travelled to Spain, where he was able to get urgent cartilage surgery - thanks to the help of Xavi - Alaa then underwent a process of rehabilitation at Aspetar. In gameweek 20 of the Qatar Stars League on Thursday, Alaa came on as a second-half substitute against Al-Sailiya SC.

In addition, Icelandic player Aron Gunnarsson was back for Al-Arabi SC when the Qatari league returned after recovering at Aspetar, as was Musab Khoder.