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Very bad news reached the San Sebastian camp today: after tests, it was revealed that the team leader Nihat will no longer be able to play this season due to a cruciate ligament injury on his left knee.
The 25-year-old member of the Turkish national team will undergo surgery in the near future, but it is already clear that he will be unable to play for about six months and will therefore miss not only the remaining games of the Spanish championship, but also the World Cup qualifying matches against Albania, Georgia, Greece, and Kazakhstan.
"As you can imagine, I am very disappointed," said the Turk, who suffered the injury during Saturday's match against Sevilla, which the San Sebastian team won 1-0. "But I can't do anything about it. Now the most important thing is to remain patient, as there are long months of hard work ahead."
"I am very sorry for the team, but I hope they will do well," Nihat said. "I will definitely cheer for them from the stands."
This is not the first time Nihat has had problems with his left knee. Similar issues prevented him from moving to Real Sociedad in December 2001. However, he did so a month later for a record sum of £2.5 million for the club.
Nihat was one of the key players for Real Sociedad in the incredibly successful 2002/2003 season, when the Basque club finished in second place, just behind Real Madrid. That season, Nihat, forming a great tandem with striker Darko Kovacevic, scored 23 goals, attracting the attention of many European clubs.
Last season, he scored 14 goals, and this season he managed to score 13 times.
