Bafana Bafana and Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Lebohang Maboe has given a recovery update on the injury that is set to keep him out for six to nine months.
Maboe, who is capped for Bafana, will thus not be able to feature for the Premier Soccer League side after the club's doctor, Carl Tabane, confirmed the length of time which he would require to heal.
"It’s really not easy having to deal with a long term injury, [going] from being active your whole life, preparing for camps and for games, to just sitting at home and watching the team play," Maboe told the club's portal.
"You always wanna be involved in the sessions and in the games.
"Keeping myself motivated the whole time hasn’t been easy. One of the things I have learned is to take it one day at a time. You don’t really know what that means until you have to be out for [six months].
"[After the operation] you can’t do some of the things you do on a daily basis. For example, getting in and out of bed – you can’t do that on your own, so I had to rely on my family to help me.
"With regards to rehab, it can also be frustrating, you can wake up one day and the knee might not be responding as well as the other days. As much as you want to push yourself, there’s nothing you can do. You just have to wait for the knee to heal."
The star stressed that he would need to be strong mentally in order to deal with the situation that will keep him on the sidelines as the Brazilians chase a fifth consecutive PSL title.
"At the same time, it’s important to be mentally strong with such an injury that keeps you out for the most part of the season, I just had to keep myself motivated," he added.
"It’s a process that at first, I wasn’t enjoying it, but then I told myself I had to enjoy it, with the end goal in mind.
"I know I am usually an impatient person, but with this injury, I have learned to be patient, I’ve had to pace myself.
"I’ve also had to keep myself sane by reading books and watching documentaries on some of the sportspeople who have been through the same injury as me – just seeing how their journeys have been, made me realise that I am going to be okay."