Johannesburg - Orlando Pirates’ trio of Benni McCarthy, Manti Moholo and Robyn Johannes, are all still battling against injury and won’t be available for selection in the near future.

It had been thought that the three players were on the road to recovery at the moment and could feature for Roger de Sa’s side in some of their upcoming games, however their coach has explained that he doesn’t expect them back anytime soon.

De Sa told the Siya crew that McCarthy, Moholo and Johannes all still face time on the sidelines and that it would be very unlikely that any of them will be turning out in a Pirates jersey in the foreseeable future.

The coach denied the speculation that McCarthy would be ready for selection, saying that, like the other duo, they are currently training under the watchful eyes of the club’s biokineticist.

Pirates’ next game will see them take on Black Leopards in the Telkom Knockout this weekend as they look to take the first step in defending the trophy they won last season.