The 21-year-old winger has made an encouraging start to life at Kaizer Chiefs. He made an immediate impression after completing his permanent move from Stellenbosch FC.
Phili’s injury comes at an unfortunate time for the Amakhosi, with the attacker beginning to establish himself as an important part of coach Fernando Da Cruz’s plans.
LANGELIHLE PHILI SIDELINED FOR EIGHT WEEKS
Da Cruz confirmed the extent of the injury ahead of Kaizer Chiefs’ upcoming Betway Premiership fixture. He revealed Phili’s absence as the bad news of the week.
“Phili is the bad news of this week, he got injured. He will be out around eight weeks,” Da Cruz said, as quoted by SuperSport.
The French coach, however, remains confident in the players available to him as Kaizer Chiefs prepare to cope without one of their most exciting attacking options.
“But we trust in our available players,” he added.
Phili joined Kaizer Chiefs after an outstanding campaign with Stellenbosch FC, where he collected the Players’ Player of the Season and Young Player of the Season awards.
The Durban-born winger’s move to Naturena was also a significant personal milestone, with the player previously revealing that joining Kaizer Chiefs fulfilled a lifelong dream inspired by his late grandmother, who was a passionate supporter of the club.
A LOSS OF A NEW FAN FAVOURITE
Phili wasted little time making his presence felt after arriving at Kaizer Chiefs. He displayed an encourage cameo on his debut against Golden Arrows in the MTN8. It was followed by the first start against Sekhukhune United where he delivered a standout performance.
The winger’s pace, dribbling ability and confidence in one-on-one situations immediately caught the attention of the Amakhosi faithful. His output earned him the Man of the Match award against Babina Noko.
Phili then reached another important milestone in just his third appearance when he scored his first Kaizer Chiefs goal against Sundowns in the Betway Premiership.
The timing of the injury will therefore come as a major disappointment for both the player and Kaizer Chiefs.
