Inacio Miguel has addressed concerns surrounding his fitness ahead of the highly-anticipated Nedbank Cup final, disclosing what he communicated to the Kaizer Chiefs management.
Over a month has passed since Miguel last played, sustaining an injury in a league fixture against TS Galaxy that saw him stretchered off the pitch. This injury setback kept him out of Chiefs’ 2-1 Nedbank Cup semi-final win against Mamelodi Sundowns and their subsequent 0-0 draw with Chippa United.
But Miguel recently recovered from his injury, evidenced by his presence on the bench for Chiefs’ last two Betway Premiership matches against Marumo Gallants and Orlando Pirates. During his time sidelined, Amakhosi coach Nasreddine Nabi entrusted the centre-back roles to Edmilson Dove, Bradley Cross and Zitha Kwinika.
A linchpin in Chiefs’ defence this season, the Angolan defender has registered 26 starts and contributed four goals across all competitions.
And as the Nedbank Cup final approaches, his fitness to endure a full 90 minutes, potentially extending into extra time, has become a key point of discussion, especially considering his last appearance was on April 5th against Galaxy.
MIGUEL DECLARES HIMSELF READY FOR NEDBANK CUP FINAL
Miguel has stated his readiness and eagerness to play against Pirates in the Nedbank Cup final on Saturday, May 10th, at the Moses Mabhida Stadium. He declared that a match of this magnitude is one even an injured player would want to participate in.
“I’m more than ready. It’s a final, and you don’t even have to think twice,” said Miguel at the Kaizer Chiefs Village in Naturena on Monday. “Even if you are injured, you have to be more than ready, and I am more than ready for this final.”
Despite expressing his desire to play in the recent league games against Gallants and Pirates, Miguel understands coach Nabi’s cautious approach. He is also sitting on three yellow cards, and another would have resulted in a suspension, ruling him out of the Nedbank Cup final.
“Listen, I wanted to play even the game against Marumo, so of course the injury made me stop playing for three weeks,” he added. “I just came back last week. It was like management by the coaches as they preferred to rest me and not use me in the games against Pirates and Marumo. Of course, the yellow cards may have some impact on the decision.”
The ex-Petro de Luanda star made it clear to Chiefs’ management that his only concern this week is being fit to play in the Nedbank final.
“This week, there’s no time for rehab, and there’s no time for doctors. Don’t put me in the doctor’s room. I have already told them [management], I’m going straight to the field and help the team.”
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