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Tadious Manyepo Sports Reporter

NOT even a nasty injury that has kept him out of action for more than a month could affect Warriors’ utility player Jordan Zemura’s market value from appreciating. 

So good has been the 21-year-old Bournemouth defender this season his market worth has jumped nine-fold to 2.5 million euros from just about 250 000 euros he was worth in July this year. 

Zemura is one of the key players the country will be looking forward to deliver in the upcoming AFCON finals to take place between January 9 and February 6 in Cameroon next year and the huge leap in his value could spur him to do even better. 

The left-back has been on the sidelines for his English Championship side since suffering an ankle sprain in a league match against Reading at the end of October. 

That injury also forced the player, who before the incident had scored thrice for Scott Parker’s side, to miss the Warriors’ last two 2022 World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Ethiopia. 

He is now back to training and could be involved in one or two matches before he joins the Warriors camp for the AFCON finals. 

But, it is the massive step his market value has taken that has left Zemura a satisfied man. 

“It (value appreciation) is something that is always good to realise. I have been nursing an injury and I am very much happy that I am now back in training and I am looking forward to playing the game once more,” said Zemura. 

“And to realise that I have been making some progress on the market is a good sign that I have been doing something good for my team and as an individual. 

“This is obviously something that can help give me a boost in terms of confidence going forward and especially ahead of the AFCON finals to be staged next month. 

“As a player you always thrive to be the best you can be and to see some positives out of your work is a good thing and that has a massive impact to your career as an individual and to the team as well. 

“Obviously we are all looking forward to the AFCON finals, if I am called into the team, well I will be ready to deliver maximum effort to help my country and you know national pride is something which has to be won no matter what.” 

Zemura is disappointed he has had to miss several matches which were supposed to keep him fit, especially given the AFCON finals are less than a month away. 

“As a footballer, the last thing you want to lose is your fitness. But injuries are part of the game and we have to know that. I have been unfortunate to get injured at a time when I was on top of my game. I would have wanted to bring the same form I was in to the Warriors but such is the nature of this game. 

“I am working hard though to try and regain full fitness and then to try and regain the form that I was in when I got injured.” 

Now ranked the fourth most valuable Zimbabwean player, Zemura is the only Warriors regular whose market value took that sudden jump over the past year with the most valuable player from this country Tino Kadewere’s value depreciating from 14 million euros in April this year to 13 million euros now. 

Kadewere, who plays for Lyon in the French Ligue 1, should have been affected more by the lengthy spell he has taken recovering from a nagging injury that has also kept him out of the Warriors’ last four matches. 

The 25-year-old former Harare City striker has over 6 million euros more value than the second-placed most valuable Warrior, Marvelous Nakamba, who is now enjoying more game-time at Aston Villa since the appointment of Steven Gerrard as the manager at Villa Park last month. 

Before the coming in of Gerrard, Nakamba’s value has been on a free fall, even depreciating from 9 million euros in December 2019 as he was reduced to a bit-part player under the ousted Dean Smith.

Nakamba is, however, one player the Warriors are fretting over after he suffered a groin injury in Villa’s 0-1 loss to Liverpool on Saturday. 

He was set to miss the team’s English Premier League clash against Norwich last night with Villa revealing the Bantu Rovers product was also set to be on the sidelines over the Christmas period. 

That could mean the midfielder won’t be fit at least for the Warriors’ opening AFCON match against giants Senegal on January 10.

Another France-based utility player Marshal Munetsi, who plays for Stade Reims, comes in as the third most valuable Zimbabwean and he is worth about 3 million euros but Munetsi will not be part of the AFCON fiesta after suffering an injury.

Captain Knowledge Musona is now ranked the eighth most valuable player in Zimbabwe with his move to the less fashionable Saudi Arabia league seeing his value depreciate to a little more than 900 000 euros but the 31-year-old will be keen to help the Warriors in what could be his last AFCON appearance as a player.