Warriors in Chirewa injury blow Tawanda Chirewa

Langton Nyakwenda

WARRIORS forward, Tawanda Chirewa, could be out for at least four weeks due to a thigh muscle injury sustained last weekend.

The 20-year-old Chirewa is now a major doubt for Zimbabwe, who play Namibia in back-to-back African Cup of Nations qualifiers next week.

According to sources close the Derby County player, Chirewa played with an injury against Norwich last Tuesday.

He then went for a scan the following day which revealed that he had muscle issues.

“Chirewa is out for between four and eight weeks,’’ the source said.

Although both Namibia and Zimbabwe will be sharing Orlando stadium in Johannesburg, the Warriors will be the away team for their first meeting on October 10.

The roles will be reversed four days later when the Warriors become the home team at the same venue.

Warriors coach Michael Nees has been praying that injuries do not wreck his plans to have a full complement of players for the crucial battles.

He is set to welcome the trio of skipper Marvelous Nakamba, Brendon Galloway and striker Tino Kadewere.

But the German is now set to miss the services of Chirewa, an exciting young player, who is on loan at Derby from English Premier League club Wolves.

Nees was expecting a refreshed and inspired Chirewa to play a role in the matches in which both Zimbabwe and Namibia are looking for their first wins in Group J of the qualifiers.

The coach and the player had also made up after their fall-out during Zimbabwe’s match against Kenya in Kampala, Uganda.

Chirewa was not happy when he was substituted in the 58th minute in the goalless draw against the Harambee Stars on September 6.

The midfielder was also not amused at being relegated to the bench for the second assignment against Cameroon and showed his reluctance to come on as a late substitute.

His Warriors coach said this misunderstanding was now water under the bridge with the gaffer expecting the young midfielder to play a big part in Zimbabwe’s quest to secure a ticket to next year’s Nations Cup finals in Morocco.

“The boy apologised twice, what else can he do,” Nees told Zimpapers Sports Hub earlier this week.

Ironically it was in South Africa where Chirewa scored his maiden goal, a brilliant strike for the Warriors, albeit, on a 3-1 losing cause to South Africa’s Bafana Bafana in a W026 World Cup qualifier.

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