Affonso not returning any time soon – Mngqithi

Mamelodi Sundowns fans will have to wait a lot longer before they can see striker Mauriccio Affonso back on the field as he has been nursing a recurring leg injury that has kept him out of action since February last year.

Affonso joined the club in 2019 and was earmarked to be the one to lead Sundowns’ attack as the side’s first promising out and out striker since the departure of Leonardo Castro, who now plays for rivals Kaizer Chiefs.

While the Uruguayan forward has not featured much, he holds a special place in Masandawana’s hearts as he was the one who made sure the side walked away last season’s Telkom Knockout trophy with his two goals against Maritzburg United in the final.

Downs co-head coach Manqoba Mngqithi says Affonso will not be returning to action anytime soon, suggesting that fast tracking his recovery could be the reason why he relapses every time he nears full fitness.

“Affonso is still out and we cannot really be sure when he is going to come back because he always breaks down he has to come back. We are beginning to live with the fact that maybe he has to recover fully and he will join us when he is ready. We believe that in the next two or three months… it is one of the tough ones for us,” said Mngqithi.

However, there is some good news on the injury front as Mngqithi revealed that one of Sundowns’ new recruits, Gift Motupa’s situation looks promising.

“Motupa has started light training and is probably going to get into full training soon,” said Mngqithi as the Brazilians prepare to take on Jwaneng Galaxy in the second-leg of the Caf Champions League first round on Tuesday afternoon.

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