Bloemfontein Celtic will have the pocket-sized Malawi striker Frank Mhango available for selection for the first time this season when they face Lamontville Golden Arrows in the Absa Premiership on Saturday and are also eagerly looking forward to the return of Vuyisile Wana.
Both had surgery in the off-season and are making quick recoveries, to the delight of coach Clinton Larsen.
“Mhango is back and he’s just played two 30 minutes games for his national team,” said
Larsen on Friday.
Mhango was used as a second-half substitute by Malawi for both their World Cup qualifiers against Tanzania last Wednesday in Dar-es-Salaam and then the return match in Blantyre on Sunday.
“That was great for us. Two weeks ago he played his first game in the Diski Challenge so he’s coming back to full fitness now.”
Mhango, nicknamed “Gabadinho”, had an operation on chronic groin injuries on both the left and right side. He has been with Celtic for two seasons, scoring 14 league goals.
The 30-year-old Wana, who won a Bafana Bafana call-up last year, signed for Celtic from relegated Moroka Swallows but was found to have been playing with an extensive cruciate ligament injury.
Celtic sent him for immediate surgery and he is expected back in January.
“He’ll start jogging today as part of his rehabilitation programme, to finally get going for the first time,” added Larsen.
“It’s going to be exciting when he gets back for the second half of the season to add that extra pace to our attack.”
Celtic have won their last four league matches and sit just one point off the leadership of the Absa Premiership going into the weekend’s fixtures.
“We just want to keep the momentum going for as long as we possibly can,” said the Celtic coach, whose side face Arrows away at the Chatsworth Stadium (kick off 3.30pm).
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