George Lebese to miss Sundowns showdown

by Bertin Basson

Friday Apr 16, 2021. 16:00

George Lebese won’t make his Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) debut against Mamelodi Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup on Sunday.

TTM will face the defending champions for a place in this year’s final, but will do so without Lebese who won’t be ready for competitive action just yet.

The 32-year-old signed a short-term deal with the Limpopo club at the start of April after having his Colorado Springs Switchback deal terminated. Lebese was unable to travel back to the USA due to Covid-19 restrictions.

“We expect him to be more involved in the competitive matches in a week or two,” TTM coach Mpho Maleka told the media in a virtual press conference on Thursday.

“He is working with the fitness trainers who push him to regain his match fitness but mentally he is very ready, and he can add value in the attacking part of our game plan.

“But he is doing well, and in two weeks you will start seeing him coming on and building up his confidence on the field of play.

“We know we have players who can play. For him to come to our squad, it is a plus … and we will make use of him very wisely,” he added.

Lebese spent close to 10 years at Kaizer Chiefs before joining Sundowns in 2017, but could only manage 16 first team appearances before being shipped off to SuperSport United on-loan.

He eventually cut ties with the Brazilians before making a move to the USL championship.