‘He didn’t break any bones but he had an issue on his ankle and he’s recovering,’ Cardoso explained.
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has provided an update on the fitness of club captain Themba Zwane and youngster Malibongwe Khoza ahead of Saturday’s Betway Premiership clash against Orlando Pirates at Loftus Versfeld.
Cardoso confirmed that Khoza will be out for several weeks after sustaining an ankle injury during Sundowns’ emphatic 5–1 victory over Remo Stars in the CAF Champions League. The 21-year-old has been receiving treatment since that match and will miss a second consecutive game this weekend.
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Khoza has also been named in Bafana Bafana’s preliminary squad for the upcoming international friendly against Zambia on November 3, which forms part of Hugo Broos’ preparations for the Africa Cup of Nations later this year.
“Mali got injured in the Remo Stars match. He didn’t break any bones but he had an issue on his ankle and he’s recovering,” Cardoso explained.
“You know at Sundowns, competition for places on the pitch is so hard that sometimes a bad performance can take you out but this is not what happened to Mali. He’s is still injured, and he will not be able to play, but we expect him to come back quicker. He will also not be available for the national team in the international break.”
Meanwhile, Zwane remains on the sidelines after picking up an injury against Pirates in the MTN8 semi-final two months ago. The 36-year-old playmaker has missed 12 matches since and is still some way from returning to action.
“You saw him today training away from the group so he’s not yet integrated back with the group,” said the Portuguese coach.
“What it means is that he’s not available from the coach’s side. He’s receiving physical activity to see if he can return [to playing] football and from there, he will have to recover on his condition. One thing you need to understand is that Zwane had an injury and it was followed by a second one.
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“So, we need to be very careful to get him to a condition for him to play football this season to help Mamelodi Sundowns and after that Bafana Bafana if the coach says so. That’s what we’re going to do, we have to be patient enough, not risk and improve his condition of being available.”
