Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Manqoba Mngqithi has expressed his disappointment over Hugo Broos' handling of Themba Zwane's playing time at Bafana Bafana, with the midfield kingpin now sidelined for several months.
Mngqithi has come under fire this season for the limited game-time granted to Zwane, with the playmaker starting just two of Sundowns' six matches in all competitions so far.
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However, at the national level, the Tembisa-born star has enjoyed the confidence of head coach Broos, who fielded him for the full 90 minutes during Bafana's 5-0 win over Congo-Brazzaville last Friday, before starting him again in the return fixture four days later.
In the latter clash, the Tembisa-born star suffered an Achilles tendon injury, which Mngqithi has confirmed could take as long as four to six months to recover from.
Speaking at the Carling Knockout Last 16 pre-match press conference, the former Golden Arrows mentor expressed some discontent with how Zwane's playing time was handled at national team level, as opposed to the method of trying to use him sparingly at club level.
"It's sad when you lose some of your players that you were trying your best to save," Mngqithi said.
"Because I know for him to recover after a match, it won't be the same like a younger player like [Siyabonga] Mabena.
"But to see Themba Zwane playing 90 minutes and starting the second match, that already sent alarm bells.
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"I think we could've dealt with this better as the two coaches, and to be honest, I do want to give him a call so I talk to him directly."
Meanwhile, Sundowns return to competitive action on Saturday when they take on Lamontville Golden Arrows at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday evening.