Lee Man defender Tsui Wang-kit is in a race against time to prove his fitness ahead of his side’s AFC Cup group stage matches in Thailand, after catching Covid-19 while on international duty with Hong Kong The left back is a regular choice for the national team, but missed all Asian Cup qualifiers in India after contracting the virus. But Lee Man coach Chan Hiu-ming said his charge had rejoined the club in Buriram after leaving Kolkata and had fully recovered from the infection. Hong Kong not ‘100 per cent’ ahead of Asian Cup qualifiers, admits Andersen “We are happy to see him back and most important he has recovered from the virus,” said the coach. “Of course he hasn’t trained for almost two weeks and his physical condition is far from ideal. “But we still have some time before our first match and will push him back to top form as soon as possible.” Tsui said he was lacking match fitness after being stopped training for quite a while, but would try to his best to get back to peak form as quickly as he could. Soon after their arrival in Kolkata, two Hong Kong players tested positive and although officials would not name those involved, Tsui was not among the squad named for the opening game against Afghanistan. Lee Man, who reached the group stage after beating Mongolian side Athletic 220 2-1 in the East Asia play off in April, will meet fellow Hong Kong club Eastern Long Lions on June 24 in Group J, which also features Tainan City of Taiwan. A fourth side, MUST CPK of Macau, withdrew because of Covid-19 restrictions. Chan said two other national team players, Yu Wai-lim and Diego Moreira, would return to the club on Friday, but another player Ngan Lok-fung was being treated in Bangkok for an eye inflammation. “The midfielder has suffered some eye problems since playing in Kolkata,” the coach said. “But because Buriram is not a big city and the medical standard may not up to the highest standard, we therefore want Ngan to stay in Bangkok for treatment. “We know he has some virus problems with his eyes, but are not too sure if he is also suffering from any other kind of virus attack. He will stay in Bangkok for treatment until he is fully recovered before joining us in Buriram.” The coach, however, had few complaints when it came to the health control measures in place for the tournament in Buriram. “The hotel hygiene condition is fine and all hotel staff members are putting up health masks,” Chan said. “Also, there are four tests throughout the tournament to make sure the players are safe to play. “If any one gets infected, the organisers have also provided clear guidelines of how to handle the case.” Organisers in India only provided one test for all four teams before the qualifying tournament kicked off in Kolkata. Only eight players of the 26-member squad returned to Hong Kong on Thursday after their last match against hosts India two days ago, with nine players and three officials testing positive for the coronavirus during their transit through Bangkok. Lee Man and Eastern players did not return to Hong Kong but joined their clubs in Buriram for the 2022 AFC Cup matches.