Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso does not expect to have Themba Zwane anytime soon following his long-term injury.
Zwane suffered an Achilles injury while on international duty in October 2024 and he was reported to require five months to recover with February 2025 identified as the best possible time for him to return to action.
However, with two weeks to go before February, Cardoso says Zwane is still far from returning but the club will not be putting pressure on the 35-year-old given the severity and delicate nature of his injury.
Sundowns carefully managing Zwane
“Themba is obviously an important player for not only Sundowns but for South African football, national team player, but no pressure on his recovery at all, still time to go,” said Cardoso.
“So, it was a very strong and hard injury, quite severe, and on this situation, the pressure is even worse. He is recovering well according to the programme but still time to go for sure.”
‘Mshishi’ is among the dependable players at Sundowns with his creativity and goals lifting the team down the years and the Brazilians have seen the standards of their game go down somewhat since his injury.
The attacking midfielder was being managed carefully by former coach Manqoba Mngqithi, who preferred to give him few minutes, but Bafana Bafana boss Hugo Broos opted to utilise him fully in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers before the setback against Congo in Brazzaville.
