Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer has confirmed the injury prognosis for Zakhele Lepasa is not good, saying the forward could be sidelined for months.
Lepasa has been out of action sice December 2020 after sustaining an ankle injury and Zinnbauer says it has not been an easy recovery for the 24-year-old, who slotted the winning penalty for TS Galaxy over Kaizer Chiefs in the 2019 Nedbank Cup final.
“Lepasa is far from returning … I think it’s months,” said Zinnbauer. “We’re not speaking about days or weeks, but months. He needs time because this was a very difficult injury, which is why I say it could be months before we see him play again.”
The German mentor then turned his attention to the weekend’s MTN8 clash with Swallows, where the Buccanneers will be looking to defend their title.
“It’s good and important to have a good start in the MTN8,” said ‘JZ’.
Last year we won the title and it was a good feeling for us and the supporters. We know that the other teams will fight for this title and it’s a good thing for us. We’re looking forward to it.
“We have to win this game against Swallows before we speak about the next game. It’s a long way and in this competition you have quality teams.
“Yes we won the title but the other teams are all prepared this season to win titles, starting with this MTN8. We know and we’re looking forward to winning this game before we speak about the next.”