Bafana Bafana star, Keagan Dolly, underwent a successful operation on his fibula yesterday and has discovered how long he faces out.
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The 25-year-old attacker was handed a starting berth by Michel Der Zakarian for Montpellier against Strasbourg over the weekend, however, just six minutes in he had to be substituted following a nasty tackle that - it was later revealed - fractured his fibula.
Dolly's injury has come as a big blow to Bafana as they prepare to face Seychelles in two crucial African Cup of Nations qualifiers next month, with his setback coming just weeks after Bongani Zungu was ruled out for the year with an MCL injury.
It has been confirmed to the Siya crew, however, that Dolly's prognosis is actually better than originally expected, with the player being ruled out for two to three months as he recovers from the operation and looks to get himself back out on the field.
With that in mind, it is likely that the former Mamelodi Sundowns man could return to action early in 2018 - possibly even before - as he attempts to get himself back into Der Zakarian's plans and help Montpellier push their way up the table in the second half of the Ligue 1 season.