How did Langelihle Phili get injured? Fernando da Cruz responds

Kaizer Chiefs head coach Fernando da Cruz has delved deep into the details surrounding the untimely injury sustained by marquee signing Langelihle Phili in his early days at Naturena.

The 21-year-old winger was lured from Stellenbosch FC in a big players plus cash move, which saw Ashly du Preez and Given Msimango join the Cape Winelands outfit.

He arrived at Chiefs on the back of registering nine assists and a solitary goal for Stellies last season, and has already opened his Amakhosi account in the one-all draw with Mamelodi Sundowns in the Betway Premiership a fortnight ago.

Now, Phili has suffered a major setback as he was ruled out of the stalemate against Richards Bay on Wednesday night, with da Cruz revealing the player is set for eight weeks on the sidelines due to an injury.

“Phili is a bad news of our wing because he was injured during training, and he will be out for about eight weeks,” the Chiefs boss confirmed the blow through a translator.

With a section of the Amakhosi faithful questioning how the injury came about, the well-travelled French tactician set the record straight the Amajita star was not tackled by anyone.

“It's a sprain of the ankle, alone in training,” da Cruz clarified when pressed on what led to the player's injury.

Chiefs, meanwhile, will be looking to give Stellenbosch loanee Faiz Abrahams, who made an impressive cameo against the Natal Rich Boys, ample game time in the absence of Phili.

The Glamour Boys return to action with a Betway Premiership clash against Siwelele FC at Dobsonville Stadium on Sunday, 06 September, as they look to snap a run of back-to-back draws.

Hlayisani Magoro

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Football journalist from South Africa covering African football news, exclusive stories and key events while sharing insights with passionate fans of the game.

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