(CNN) A promising 20-year-old Dutch footballer has been left permanently brain damaged after collapsing during a pre-season friendly game, his club Ajax said Thursday.
Abdelhak Nouri was put into an induced coma at a hospital in Austria after collapsing during the friendly match against Werder Bremen on Saturday, July 8 as the Dutch club prepared for the 2017/2018 season.
"#Ajax are deeply saddened by the news that Appie Nouri has been diagnosed with serious and permanent brain damage," tweeted the Amsterdam club.
In a second tweet Ajax said their "thoughts and prayers go out to him and his loved ones in this difficult time."
Two days ago, the club said tests had shown that the Amsterdam-born player's heart was "functioning normal and appears to be undamaged," but tests could not at the time be conducted on his brain as he remained asleep.
Nouri played 15 league and cup games for Ajax in 2016-17, scoring one goal in a Dutch Cup tie.
Ajax finished second to Feyenoord, while the Dutch club were beaten 2-0 by Manchester United in the Europa League final.
Ajax is one of European football's most storied clubs having won the European Cup and has a long tradition of developing young players.
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Manchester United meet Ajax in European showpiece final
The stage for Wednesday's Europa League final between Ajax and Manchester United was the Friends Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.
The Europa League trophy weighs 15kg. Unusually the trophy has no handles, prompting the UEFA website to quip: "The first challenge is how to hold it."
As with any major final, the hunt was on for tickets before the match.
Ahead of the match Ajax fans enjoyed the atmosphere in Stockholm city center.
A marksman patrols the perimeter of the stadium. Following Monday's terror attack in Manchester, European governing body UEFA said there was "no specific intelligence" to suggest the match was under threat.
United fans put up a flag in memory of the victims of the Manchester terror attack.
This was the fifth time the two clubs had met in European competitions, with each side having two wins in their previous encounters.
Each team was allocated 9,500 tickets for the match but reports suggested twice that number of fans were expected to travel to Sweden for the crucial match.
An Ajax supporter holds a lit flare prior to kick off.
The scheduled minute's silence before the final turned into a minute's applause.
Paul Pogba, the world's most expensive footballer, scored in the 18th minute to give the English side a 1-0 lead at halftime.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored United's second goal from close range early in the second half.
Marouane Fellaini won 15 aerial duels -- a Europa League record for one match.
Captain Wayne Rooney lifted the trophy as United's players celebrated the club's first Europa League title.
United's Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho has now won three trophies in his first season at Old Trafford.
During his career, Nouri, who was born in Amsterdam to parents of Moroccan descent, has played for Holland's Under-15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 teams.