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Johannesburg - Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane conceded he will be without the services of injured national captain, Steven Pienaar, for the last two Africa Cup of Nations Group B matches against Niger and Sierra Leone in the next two months.
Pienaar missed the Burkina Faso friendly match at Ellis Park on Wednesday due to a groin injury, one of many injuries he has suffered in the last year having also withdrawn from the team before their last match against Egypt in June.
The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder underwent surgery this week and is set to be out for six weeks - effectively ruling him out of the away fixture to Niger next month and Sierra Leone at home in October.
In June, national squad doctor Ephraim Nematswerani had said that Pienaar needed to strengthen his core stabilisers in his abdomen to hopefully to reduce the number of lower limb injuries to which he was very susceptible.
"If you remember, he passed the surgery in June that he is having now and obviously won't be available for Niger and will be recovering when we play the Sierra Leone game as well.
"As far as I'm concerned he is a 'write off' for these next two games. And I'm worried about (another injured midfielder) Reneilwe Letsholonyane at the moment."
Mosimane though, did blood the young duo of Thulani Serero and Daylon Claasen in the 3-0 win over the Burkinabe where they played a part in two of the goals.
Serero is creative like Pienaar and also comfortable as a second striker, a role he played alongside Katlego Mphela in the fixture.
The 21-year-old Ajax Amsterdam youngster is expected to fill Pienaar's role as the side's creative launch pad and supplier to Mphela upfront.
"We normally have Pienaar releasing Mphela but Serero did that today with the third goal," Mosimane said.
"With the programme that we have with the Nations Cup in 2012 and 2013 and the 2014 World Cup, the likes of Claasen, Happy Jele, Eric Mathoho and George Maluleka are signs that the future is bright, hopefully I'll get to implement it."
Another concern that Mosimane had ahead of their fixture against Niger - the game that could see Bafana secure participation in next year's tournament - is match fitness of his available squad.
The likes of Mphela, Tsepo Masilela and Morgan Gould have not had much playing action with "Jingles" needing them to be in top condition for the testing conditions they will get in the West African country.
"You could see that some of my players were not match fit, Tsepo has been training with the Moroka Swallows reserves as he sorts out his future," said Mosimane.
"I'm trying to broker a deal with the PSL and the clubs with about 17 days to go because I need to get the players match fit.
"I don't know how yet because you have to be careful in not interfering with the clubs and their players.
"I will see. but I am very worried."
