After sustaining an injury during Kaizer Chiefs' 4-0 victory over Free Agents FC in the Nedbank Cup last 32 round on Sunday, striker Wandile Duba is expected to be sidelined for a month and a half.
This means he will miss the upcoming Soweto Derby against Orlando Pirates at the FNB Stadium on the weekend.
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Insiders close to the club and the player have indicated that the 20-year-old suffered a left knee injury, requiring approximately 42 days to heal. The Siya sources added that while 42 days is the expected healing period, additional time will be necessary for rehabilitation and getting back to match fitness.
"He went for scanning yesterday and that's when they were sure that he will be out for about a month and a half. He will actually be out for 42 days. It's a knee injury. He twisted it and got injured. Very bad, my brother, but 42 days is not that bad though," the Siya source stated.
A second insider stated that missing the Soweto Derby is a significant blow both to the Chiefs team and Duba himself when facing arch-rivals Orlando Pirates on Saturday.
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"The team needed him in this Soweto Derby and him as a player also wanted to play and that's a big blow for the team. But you know, injuries are part of the game. Now he has just to focus on healing and to come back strong," the second source observed.
Before the injury on Sunday, the 20-year-old had played many games and is scoring goals too, underlining his importance to Amakhosi.
Soccer Laduma reached out to Chiefs for comment but received no response at the time of publication.