Vegalta Sendai goalkeeper Kentaro Seki will require over a month to recover from a torn muscle in his right hip, the club announced on Sunday.

The 30-year-old suffered the injury in Vegalta’s Friday-night loss at Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the fifth round of the 2016 MEIJI YASUDA J1 League.

Nevertheless, he managed to still make the full appearance but will now have to undergo a full recovery and is unavailable for selection.

With usual starter Yuji Rokutan still recovering from injuries of his own, goalkeeping duties are now expected to fall on third choice Kei Ishikawa when Vegalta host Gamba Osaka next Sunday.