Bongani Khumalo (Gallo)

Johannesburg - SuperSport United captain Bongani Khumalo insists he will not push himself as he begins his recovery from an ankle injury.

The Bafana Bafana international picked up the problem during a recent friendly match against Bloemfontein Celtic and he will miss the upcoming Confederation Cup clash with F.U.S De Rabat.

The injury could also rule him out of the friendly international with Ghana at the Soccer City (soon to be renamed National Stadium) in August.

However, controversy has arisen as Bafana Bafana head coach Pitso Mosimane admitted he will make the decision as to whether Khumalo plays or not - this following Gavin Hunt's admission that the defender would be unavailable.

The 23-year-old will not take any chances in his recovery, though, as he looks to come back fighting fit in time for the new Premier Soccer League campaign.

Khumalo told Matsatsantsa's website: "I'm currently out of action due to the injury I picked up last week in a friendly encounter against Bloemfontein Celtic at home.

"It will take a couple of weeks to heal, if you look at the time it will take to get rehabilitation done.

"The Celtic player went over the top of the ball, and caught my ankle and it twisted.

"This simply means I'm out of the Sunday's Confederations Cup match against F.U.S De Rabat in Morocco.

"As to how long the injury will take to heal, it's hard to say at this point, however, the risk of if getting worse is high if I rush it."

Matsatsantsa will want to impress in the continental competition this season, but for that to happen they will need a positive result in Morocco - something Khumalo believes the team can achieve.

"Regarding the Confederations Cup return leg, I think we have a goal advantage (United won 2-1 in the first leg with both Morgan Gould and Anthony Laffor on the score-sheet) but we shouldn't concede a goal because that will make things difficult for us," the former University of Pretoria star said.

"F.U.S De Rabat are a good team technically but I believe if we step up the pace of the game they'll struggle to keep up.

"I wish the team the best of luck and they should all enjoy the experience, we have what it takes to win the game convincingly."