Publications
Partners
Cape Town - Orlando Pirates can breathe a sigh of relief as defender Patrick Phungwayo could be back in action a lot sooner than expected.
Phungwayo suffered a knee injury in the build up to the African Cup of Nations and was forced to miss out on the continental showpiece.
At the time, it appeared as if the injury was serious enough to rule the player out for the remainder of the season.
But having returned to his club, Phungwayo has received some morale-boosting news.
"The doctor that [the Bafana Bafana doctor] side had said I would be out for two to three months and now to find out that I will actually be out for only two weeks makes me feel really good about my situation," Phungwayo told the club's official website.
"I’m happy because the idea of being out of football for a long period of time was disappointing, I mean I had to deal with the possibility of my season ending prematurely," he added.
The former Bidvest Wits left-back also says he holds no grudges against the Bafana medical team for what has proved to be an overly conservative prognosis on his knee.
"I must say that I am happy that the National Team doctor opted for the safer route because it shows that they put the player’s health first.
"You can never be too careful about these things because if a minor injury is not properly attended to, it can easily develop into a long term injury and in some instances even a career ending injury, therefore I am grateful that I have the opportunity to heal properly and live to fight another day as it were."
