Beijing: Chinese Super League (CSL) side Henan Jianye's Fernando Karanga could be out for three weeks after suffering an injury in a warm-up match, a football website reported on Thursday.
Karanga was reported to have been substituted due to a hamstring strain in the match against Chongqing Lifan on Wednesday and would be absent for up to three weeks, writes a Chinese news agency.
Karanga made 15 appearances for Henan last season with six goals and four assists. With the delayed 2020 CSL season set to begin on July 25, the Brazilian striker will likely miss out on the first few matches.
Henan's first three CSL matches will be against Jiangsu Suning, Dalian Pro and Guangzhou R&F.
Meanwhile, Shanghai SIPG striker Hulk is to leave the Chinese Super League side when his contract expires this winter.
The 33-year-old former Brazilian international played for Porto and Zenit St. Petersburg before joining Shanghai SIPG in July 2016.
He was named in the CSL All-Star squad in 2017 and helped the club win their first ever CSL title in 2018.
China's top-flight football teams are preparing for the new CSL season, which is set to begin on July 25, after being delayed by months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Most CSL overseas players have returned to China after all five of Chongqing Lifan back to the country on Tuesday, with only eight have not returned due to travel restrictions imposed by the pandemic.
