Halbouni expected to be out for four to five months
VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC confirmed on Friday that centre back Belal Halbouni underwent a successful arthroscopic procedure to repair the meniscus in his left knee.
Halbouni initially suffered a left knee bone contusion during the second half of extra time in the club's MLS Cup Playoffs Western Conference Semifinal against LAFC on November 22.
“We’re encouraged that Belal’s procedure went well,” said Axel Schuster, Whitecaps FC sporting director. “His recovery did not progress as expected, and after further consulting with a specialist, it was agreed this was the right step at this stage. We’ll continue to monitor his progress closely and expect him to make a full recovery by late summer.”
Halbouni, 26, started 14 of his 20 appearances across all competitions last year. The product of London, Ontario started nine of the final 11 regular season matches, as well as the opening two matches of the MLS Cup Playoffs against FC Dallas in the Round One, Best-of-3 Series. He also scored his first goal for the club back in March against CF Monterrey during the Concacaf Champions Cup run.
