After a successful leg operation back in September, KickOff has the latest on the recovery progress of Bafana Bafana midfielder Sphephelo Sithole.
Sithole had a horrific leg-break injury in Bafana's 3-2 victory over South Sudan in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier back in September.
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TV replays showed the 25-year-old's leg breaking in a crunching tackle in the closing stages of the game against The Bright Stars at Juba Stadium.
Although there were initially fears that the Tondela midfielder, currently on loan at Gil Vicente in Portugal's topflight, would be out for long, following a successful operation a few days later at Milpark hospital in Johannesburg, SAFA Chief Medical Officer Dr Thulani Ngwenya expected him to be out for between 10 to 12 weeks.
"We are very happy with his progress and he is already walking with the aid of his physio. We expect him to be back in action in about 10 to 12 weeks," Ngwenya told SAFA website.
As per the estimated time of recovery, it is now 12 weeks since that diagnosis by Ngwenya and Sithole should be closer to a return.
However, this publication has established, through a reliable source, that the player is still recovering and is actually expected to be back only in March next year.
Bafana head coach Hugo Broos would have counted on 'Yaya' to be back when the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers resume in March next year, but according to information from sources, he may not be ready by then, which is a big blow for the national team.
Sithole missed four AFCON qualifier matches - a 5-0 win over Congo-Brazzaville, a 1-1 draw against the same opposition in back-to-back games, a 2-0 victory over Uganda and a 3-0 thrashing of South Sudan.
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In his absence, Broos has been using Bathusi Aubaas alongside his Mamelodi Sundowns teammate Teboho Mokoena in the heart of midfield.
South Africa will resume World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Benin in March, in Group C, where only group winners are guaranteed automatic qualification.