Orlando Pirates will be without one of their star players Thembinkosi Lorch for up to five weeks, the club revealed on Monday.
The 27-year-old was withdrawn from the field during the first half of the 1-0 league victory over Bloemfontein Celtic at Dr Molemela Stadium. He missed the crucial second leg of the MTN 8 semifinal tie against rivals Kaizer Chiefs.
Thembinkosi Lorch out for five weeks
Having sustained a knee injury against Celtic, he underwent surgery to remove excess cartilage, and will be out of action for over a month according to a statement issued out by Pirates.
“Fortunately for the technical team, Lorch’s injury is not a serious one,” the club said on their official website. “According to the Bucs medical team, Lorch underwent surgery to remove osteochondroma in the knee. He is expected to make a full recovery.”
Orlando Pirates
Big blow for Orlando Pirates
This means that Pirates will be without Lorch – who had been showing glimpses of his old form – when they take on Supersport United at Orlando Stadium on Saturday.
The projected length of his injury lay-off could mean that he will only be back in action after the December break.
In three matches across competitions in the 2020/21 season, Lorch has scored once and provided as many assists, which is almost equal to his tally for the previous campaign.
Meanwhile, the Buccaneers also had good news to report on the injury front, with striker Tshegofatso Mabasa and defender Bongani Sam both back at full training.
Neither player has featured for the club in the ongoing season, with Sam recovering from a hamstring strain, while Mabasa – who netted seven goals in his debut season for the Soweto giants – had been undergoing rehabilitation after sustaining a knock during the off season.
The match between Pirates and United kicks off at 18:00 (SAST).
