"Even for a boy of his age, he is recovering very well. We have beautiful expectations regarding him,” Cardoso revealed.
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso is hopeful that Themba Zwane will be fit and ready for the Africa Cup of Nations later this year.
The veteran midfielder is currently sidelined with an unspecified muscle injury he sustained against Magesi FC earlier this month.
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Zwane is in a race against time for Bafana Bafana’s AFCON campaign, which kicks off on 22 December against Angola. South Africa will also face Egypt and Zimbabwe in Group B.
The 36-year-old was an integral part of the side that secured a bronze medal at the previous edition of the competition in Côte d’Ivoire.
Following Sundowns’ 4-1 thrashing of Richards Bay on Saturday, Cardoso gave a positive update when asked if Zwane would recover in time to play at the continental showpiece, which will be staged in Morocco.
“I think, yes, he can, but let’s have some patience with him. We’re seeing much more development than we expected. Even for a boy of his age, he is recovering very well. We have beautiful expectations regarding him,” Cardoso revealed.
“We’re going to be cautious and we need to be cautious, not thinking about the national team but we’re also thinking about us and about him as well. We will do it with precaution in order to not damage him again. If we were cautious the last time, now we have to be extra cautious because he deserves it and most of all, we need him.”
While Cardoso is hopeful over Zwane, he confirmed that defender Mothobi Mvala is set for a spell on the sidelines.
The 31-year-old has been struggling with a reported knee problem and despite recently featuring in the 1-0 defeat to Golden Arrows, will now undergo surgery.
“Unfortunately, we lost Mothobi, he will be submitted to the surgery. We knew that going for traditional treatment on his knee would provoke a possibility for setback,” the coach explained.
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“It was the decision taken between the player and the medical department to go through with the process and procedure. Things worked out well but unfortunately, there was an incident in the last match and this time, he will go for surgery.”
