Vegalta Sendai on Sunday revealed that defender Naomi Ishikawa will miss six weeks after injuring his spine during a training match.

The 29-year-old fractured his third and fourth vertebrae during a training match on Saturday, meaning he will miss the remainder of the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League’s first stage.

Ishikawa has made full appearances in all 15 of Vegalta’s league fixtures this season, scoring one goal.

Susumu Watanabe’s men could inadvertently play a decisive part in where the first stage title goes this weekend, and crown Urawa Reds winners if they manage to avoid defeat at Gamba Osaka.