Turkish striker Ilhan Mansiz is set to return to J. League side Vissel Kobe after missing most of the first stage of competition.
Ilhan, who joined Kobe for a J. League record fee of $4.5 million, returned home after his team's second match of the season to have surgery on his right knee on April 1.
The 28-year-old, who made a name for himself after sending Turkey to the semifinals of the 2002 World Cup, was expected to be in the lineup for Saturday's match against Yokohama F. Marinos at Kobe Wing Stadium.