MAMELODI Sundowns medical team are working around the clock in getting the injured Thapelo Morena back in action by the beginning of next season.
It’s exactly a month now since Morena suffered a brutal injury that resulted in his ankle snapping like a twig after his duel with SuperSport United defender Onismor Bhasera in the Nedbank Cup.
“We will be removing the cast on Monday,” said Sundowns team doctor Carl Tabane.
“It’s exactly five weeks since the surgery and we are going to give him the moon boot. We put him in a cast for six weeks for the fracture to stabilise and heal, then we going to start his rehabilitation,” he added.
“What I am happy about is that Thapelo is in high spirits and he’s looking forward to the next step of his rehab programme. That will help him a great deal because other people get discouraged or impatient. He is strong mentally and that is to his advantage,” Tabane added.
According to Tabane, who had a stint at Bafana Bafana, such injuries normally take about six months to heal, but he says he’s got a good team of specialists who are capable of getting Morena back in action sooner.
“We hope to have him ready and back in four months. We managed to speed up Sbusiso Vilakazi’s recovery. He had an Achilles and he was back in four months. Our team of physiotherapists and biokineticists are good when it comes to accelerated rehabilitation. We just need the player to be committed and to be in the right frame of mind.”
Added Tabane: “Thapelo is not a difficult person and we are very hopefully that in three months from now, he should be good. We will keep on updating as we record his progress. He is ready to take off the cast so that he can start with cardio exercises. He is resting at home and he knows his diet requirements so that he does not pick up weight and put more pressure on the ankle. He is working very hard to recover and I am happy with the progress so far.”
