Faisal Halim, a winger for Selangor FC and the Malaysian national team, suffered burns to his neck, shoulder, hands and chest in the attack at a shopping centre outside the capital Kuala Lumpur on 5 May.

The injuries mainly affected the left side of his body, leaving his arm severely damaged, including its movement and sensitivity. His speech was also affected, as he was unable to communicate clearly at the start of the various operations he has undergone over the past two weeks.

He suffered fourth-degree burns, the most severe classification, in which the injury penetrates the skin and underlying tissue, as well as the deeper tissues, even reaching the bone.

Speaking about his recovery, Selangor FC technical committee chairman Shahril Mokhtar said the player was recovering well.

"I was told that with this progress, there is a great possibility that he will be back (on the pitch) in three to six months. That's based on what the doctors told me; the sooner the better, that's our hope," Shahril told a news conference on Wednesday.

"His recovery is very, very good. I was told that the skin graft could only cover 70 percent of the wounded area, but it was a miracle that he managed to cover 100 percent".

Faisal underwent a three-hour skin graft operation on Monday which was "better than expected", according to team doctor Muhammad Hazwan Khair, who also spoke at the press conference.

Shahril said the player would undergo another minor surgery on Thursday. "The doctors will monitor Faisal's condition tomorrow to see if he can be discharged in the next few days," he said.

The 26-year-old, nicknamed 'Mickey', scored an equaliser against South Korea that was voted the best goal of the 2023 Asian Cup and has scored a total of 14 goals in 29 appearances for the senior national team since his debut in June 2019.

Malaysia's domestic football season was due to begin on 10 May with an opening match between Faisal's Selangor and Super League champions Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT).

Selangor pulled out, citing "a series of criminal incidents and recent threats", but the league went ahead.

Three days before the acid attack, another player, Akhyar Rashid, was injured in a robbery outside his home in the eastern state of Terengganu.

In a third incident, two days after the attack on Faisal, former Malaysia captain Safiq Rahim escaped unhurt after being threatened with a hammer and having the windscreen of his car smashed by two assailants.

Police are continuing to investigate the attack, with a motive yet to be established.