Urawa Reds midfielder Alessandro Santos could miss the first half of the 2008 season after picking up a fresh injury to his left groin last weekend.
Santos, who has rejoined Urawa after a disappointing spell at Austrian side Salzburg, sustained the injury in a practice match against second-division Ehime FC and suggested Wednesday that the injury is more serious than initially thought.
"It's been discovered that a tendon is torn. It's the same area that I hurt before and it looks like it could take about three months to recover," Santos said, referring to the injury that haunted him while in Austria last season.