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Wits coach Gavin Hunt says that teenage sensation Phakamani Mahlambi
has resumed training and has revealed that he could be set for a return to action in
February.
The 19-year-old tore his anterior cruciate ligament last season, which forced him to miss most of the Clever Boys' Premiership campaign, in addition to South Africa's 2016 Rio Olympics campaign in Brazil.
Despite Mahlambi's progress is said to be ahead of schedule, Hunt is wary of introducing the forward too early.
"Phakamani is training, but technically he needs nine months," he told Kickoff.
"It's been about seven and a half months now so, for me, it looks like [he will be back in] February.
"There's no football in January, so it looks like February if we are really honest with ourselves.
"If I can get him back late December, I'll give him 20 minutes or whatever, because he's our x-factor; he's the best player in South Africa besides [Khama] Billiat."
The knee specialist who performed the operation, Michael Barrow, confirmed that his progress is ahead of schedule.
"He's well ahead of schedule, in comparison to an average person who has the same injury - partly because he's young, partly because he's motivated and because he's been watched closely by his medical team, and partly because of [the procedure] that we've done," Barrow added.
Wits have made an impressive start to the new campaign and find themselves a point clear at the summit of the PSL standings but having played two games less than their closest rivals, SuperSport United.
