Heartbreak for Mamelodi Sundowns as Maboe is ruled out up to nine months

Mamelodi Sundowns attacking midfielder Lebohang Maboe has sustained a long-term injury which has ruled him out for up to nine months.

This has been confirmed by the Tshwane giants’ head of medical Dr Carl Tabane as he provided an update on the South Africa international’s injury.

Maboe, 26, was one of the senior players in the Bafana Bafana squad that clinched this year’s Cosafa Cup in Port Elizabeth last month.

Having been an influential playmaker as the Brazilians clinched last season’s PSL title, Maboe has missed the start of the current campaign after sustaining an injury to his knee.

“Lebo sustained quite a complex knee injury at the beginning of August,” Tabane told the club’s media department.

“He is currently four weeks post-injury and exactly 11 days post-surgery. We are looking at a rehab process of about six to nine months,

“But it’s not the first time we are treating such an injury. With the medical team that we have, we are quite confident that we might shorten it and he might come back a little bit early.”

This means Maboe could miss the entire 2021/22 season which is scheduled to end in May 2022. 

Tabane also revealed that the former Maritzburg United playmaker, who played 41 matches across all competitions for Masandwana last term, is highly motivated during his rehabilitation.

“Obviously these are the types of injuries that you might think is a career-ending injury, but he is a highly motivated individual and we actually started the rehab before the surgery and he was quite keen to do that,” he added. 

“He read about the subject and knew exactly what’s going on.”

Sundowns boast arguably the strongest squad in the PSL and they surely have enough depth to cope without the skillful midfielder, who notched up five goals and provided four assists last season.

Haashim Domingo has been enjoying regular game time thus far this season in Maboe’s position in midfield and Masandawana have also signed attacking midfielder Neo Maema from Bloemfontein Celtic.