Rayyan’s Suleiman back in action

AL RAYYAN received a big morale booster as libero Suleiman Saeed recovered from a nagging knee injury and was fit to resume duties.

The 29-year-old, a key figure for Rayyan and national team in the past decade,  had been out of action since the Emir’s Cup last season.

Suleiman, who took to the court during the ongoing GCC Clubs Championship, sounded upbeat about the season ahead.

“I missed the Super Cup, Qatar League and Arab Championship. It’s been a bit frustrating sitting out with injury. I’ve been watching my team-mates play and that itself was a big motivation to comeback and play. I hope to do well in the rest of the season,” said Suleiman.

During the Qatar League, it was quite obvious that Rayyan were missing Suleiman’s inspiring presence on the court. The way he cheers his team-mates and has a go at the opposition is something which stands out about Suleiman and assistant coach Karim ben Ayed was quick to acknowledge it.

“Finishing fourth in the league and third at the Arab Clubs Championship wasn’t certainly our goal. We wanted to finish much higher. A big positive from this tournament is the return of Suleiman, our libero, from a six-month injury lay-off. Now, we can hopefully live up to the expectations,” said Karim.