Ventforet Kofu midfielder Katsuya Ishihara will miss four to six weeks of action after he injured his left knee, revealed the club last Friday.

The 36-year-old damaged his medial cruciate ligament during Ventforet’s 0-1 loss to Shonan Bellmare on matchday 11 and had to be substituted in the 74th minute.

Ishihara’s loss will be a blow for new coach Satoru Sakuma, given he has featured heavily for his team this season in 10 of their matches.

Sakuma was appointed last Wednesday to guide the basement club to safety but must now contend without the Yamanashi native, who has made over 450 league appearances for Ventforet since joining the club in 2001.