Kawasaki Frontale captain Kengo Nakamura will miss as many as three weeks after injuring his right hip.
The midfielder suffered a muscle strain on October 1 in the team’s 3-0 loss at Vissel Kobe.
Nakamura, a former Japan international, was the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League Monthly MVP for February and March.
It places the veteran in a race against time to be fit for the J1 League Championship.