Bangladesh football team reached Qatar on Thursday without their key striker Nabib Newaz Jibon and COVID-19 infected defender SM Monjurur Rahman Manik and head coach Jamie Day.

Jibon, who scored the first goal in Bangladesh’s 2-0 win against Nepal in their first friendly match on November 13, suffered an injury on his right knee during the second and final match of the series on November 17, which ended in a goalless draw.

With the injury, Jibon will miss Bangladesh’s 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC Asian Cup joint Qualifiers Group E match against Qatar in Doha on December 4.

 ‘I injured my right knee during the second match…I went for an MRI last night [Wednesday] and our Australian physiotherapist [Andre Juan Carle] prescribed me for a four weeks rest to recover,’ Jibon told New Age on Thursday.

‘I was sure to go to Qatar but the injury report came at the eleventh hour, just before the team was leaving for airport,’ he added.

Bangladesh also had to leave behind Manik after he was tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday night following a routine test of the players and officials of the team after the second match.

Earlier, their English head coach Day had tested positive for the virus on November 15 and is currently in isolation and in absence of Day assistant coach Stuart Watkiss will continue as the acting boss.

Day informed that he will not call-up a replacement for Jibon and hinted forward Mahbubur Rahman Sufil, who was the other goal-scorer against Nepal in the first match, might play in Jibon’s position.

‘Sufil had done well very well, so we have the options or we may play in a different style,’ Day told New Age.

Bangladesh Football Federation is still determined to send Day and Manik to Qatar as soon as they are free of the virus, said BFF general secretary Abu Nayeem Shohag.

‘Day and Manik will be retested on Monday and whenever they test negative, they will fly to Qatar on the next available flight,’ Shohag said.

The 35-member Bangladesh team, including 10 officials, reached Doha at around 2:00pm and gave their samples for COVID-19 tests before entering a three-day mandatory quarantine.

But they will have access to the gym and swimming pool at the team hotel during the quarantine.

Bangladesh will play two warm-up matches on November 25 and 28 against available Qatar Premier League teams before the qualifier match, which will be held at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium.