Maccabi Haifa's Manuel Benson Suffers Knee Injury Amid Poor Season Start

Maccabi Haifa continues to struggle this season following a 1-0 home defeat to Hapoel Jerusalem in the Toto Cup match for ninth place on August 17, 2026. Alongside the disappointing loss and underwhelming performance, the team faced a concerning moment when winger Manuel Benson was injured late in the game. Benson, the highest-paid player on the squad with a contract through the end of the season worth 600,000 euros, entered as a substitute but shortly after made a sharp movement that caused him to hurt his knee. He immediately grabbed his knee in pain and had to be stretchered off the field.

Initial medical assessments indicated that Benson did not suffer a cruciate ligament tear, but he is scheduled for further examinations to determine the full extent of the injury. This setback is particularly unfortunate as Benson recently recovered from Achilles tendon inflammation and was expected to play a significant role under coach Barak Bachar. The team and fans now await the results of the additional tests to understand the severity of Benson's condition and its impact on the squad moving forward.