Zwane Confirms Ekstein Absence As AmaZulu Prepare For Pirates Clash
AmaZulu coach Arthur Zwane has confirmed that Hendrick Ekstein will miss Wednesday’s Betway Premiership clash against Orlando Pirates as he continues his recovery after another spell on the sidelines.
Usuthu will welcome the Buccaneers to Kings Park Stadium on Wednesday evening for their second league match of the season, with Zwane’s side hoping to continue their winning start after opening their campaign with victory over Stellenbosch.
However, AmaZulu will once again be without their experienced midfielder, with Zwane confirming that Ekstein also missed a significant portion of the club’s pre-season preparations and is still some way from returning to competitive action.
Ekstein missed AmaZulu’s opening league fixture against Stellenbosch and was also unavailable for their 4-3 defeat to Sekhukhune United in the MTN8 quarter-final on Sunday.
Zwane explained that the former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder will need more time before he can return, with the club also following the required return-to-play protocol.
“Pule is not going to be available against Pirates,” he said.
“He probably needs time. He missed about two to three weeks with us, so maybe he needs another three weeks to ensure he’s ready.
“Obviously, we will have to follow the protocol, the return-to-play protocol, regarding the level of fitness.
“Right now, other players are ahead of him. We know that if he was available, he would give us something.”
While Ekstein’s absence will be a blow to AmaZulu, Zwane will be encouraged by the form of Thandolwenkosi Ngwenya, who has made an impressive start to the campaign.
Ngwenya scored twice in AmaZulu’s MTN8 quarter-final against Babina Noko, although his goals were ultimately not enough to prevent Usuthu from crashing out of the competition.
The Zimbabwean striker was also on target when AmaZulu started the season with a win over Stellenbosch in their opening Betway Premiership match at Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium.
Zwane believes the attacker could have scored even more goals against Babina Noko, given the opportunities created by the team’s attacking approach.
“Look, Thando is a top player. Trust me, he’s a top player,” Zwane added.
“But I still believe that on Sunday he could have done much better. He could have even scored more goals than the two that he scored if, at some point, he had run into the right areas.
“Because we were exploiting the space, and the access zone was always open. We always said, ‘Let’s attack that space,’ because we always say to ourselves that it gives us the maximum opportunity to create goal-scoring opportunities.
“I think at some point he was a bit sluggish. As I said, he should show consistency, but I feel he can do better. At his age, in terms of recovery, by now he should be a little sharper.
“I’m happy for him that he managed to score two goals, and as you said, again, he’s got three goals in two games. We expect more from him. I would have loved to see him go all the way, especially in this cup, to boost his confidence as well.”
