Orlando Pirates striker ruled out for two months as Sebastian Pedersen spotted in first training session

According to a report in iDiski Times, Bafana Bafana star Evidence Makgopa played through the pain barrier at the World Cup and requires two months rest for a troublesome knee injury.

The report states that the 26-year-old will not require surgery but is expected to miss not only the first months of Bucs 2026/27 campaign, but also Bafana's 2026 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in September.

The news heaps pressure on new signing Sebastian Pedersen to quickly assimilate into the squad after his arrival in the country last week, especially in light of how coach Abdeslam Ouaddou was critical of his current strike force, saying: "I need my strikers to wake up quickly and help the team," in the aftermath of the MTN8 victory.

In the good news column for Pirates fans, the club released images of the players training on Monday and Norwegian striker was one of a number of players shown being put through their paces.

However, despite the desperate need for Pedersen to assimilate and show his prowess in front of goal, in an interview with SABC Sport over the weekend, the coach addressed the growing excitement of fans to see their new Norwegian striker in action.

"I think they will have to be a little bit patient because, as I said, we don't have to rush the process," Ouaddou said.

"Of course, everybody wants to see the new players in the team, but as a coach, together with our performance and medical departments, we have to be cautious and make sure he is fully prepared before bringing him into the game.

"When you start games, you have to be ready psychologically, mentally and physically.

"We don't want to risk any of those factors.

"When he is on the pitch, it will mean we have received the green light from the performance department."

On the back of the news of Makgopa's injury, Ouaddou will be hoping that "green light" from the performance department comes sooner rather than later.

Pirates have a packed schedule ahead of Makgopa's return with six domestic league fixtures, an MTN8 semi final and the second preliminary round of the CAF Champions League to face before the Bafana star's return.

Without a reliable source of goals it could already see last year's treble winners having lost the opportunity to add to their trophy haul in the first months of this season.