An injury blow to Joseph Mhlongo could hamper his chances of making a move to one of the big clubs, as he is expected to spend some time on the sidelines recovering. 

At the start of the 2018/19 season, Mhlongo emerged as one of the sought-after players in the PSL, following his impressive performances for Black Leopards emanating from their promotion-winning campaign of last season.

Read: No CAF Registration For Frustrated Goalkeeper

Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates have both been linked with the player as he had been one of the impressive players for Leopards in their first season back in the elite league. 

As confirmed by sources close to the Limpopo outfit, Mhlongo picked up an ankle injury a few weeks ago in the match against Free State Stars but went on to play in the matches that followed against Kaizer Chiefs and Cape Town City. 

The forward has aggravated the injury and has been ruled out for a long time, according to sources.   

Read: Bucs’ 10-Match Impressive Run Against Chiefs… 

“Joseph Mhlongo is injured. It’s an ankle injury and the scan has shown that he is likely to return next year,” confirmed a source.

In other Leopards’ news, midfielder Luciano Matsoso is also out for the year, due to an injury. The Lesotho international, who joined Leopards from Polish side Oskar Przysucha before the start of the season, is expected to return to competitive football action in February next year.