Mamelodi Sundowns defender Grant Kekana admits it was a major disappointment to have suffered an injury on the final game of pre-season.
The 29-year-old whose form last season for Sundowns earned him his Bafana Bafana debut at the age of 29 featured against Morocco in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, but after that extreme career highs, his 2022/23 season started off on the wrong note.
However, after returning to full training last month, Kekana has been back within first-team action and opened his account for the season in the 7-0 win over La Passe in their opening CAF Champions League clash at Loftus Versveld on Sunday afternoon.
“Being back on the field after injury has been a great relief because the injury was frustrating. Overall, I’m happy to be contributing to the team’s success,” he told the club’s official website.
“I have come a long way with my injury. The process and journey to recovery has been a strenuous one. I had to put in extra work and physiotherapy sessions to get back to full fitness.”
The former SuperSport United defender went on to state that much hard work went behind the scenes to speed up the process and showed appreciation for those who helped with the swift return.
“I was doing a lot of extra work on the sides so I could speed up the recovery process. I’m feeling confident again. I’m grateful to the medical team, my family and everyone in the team for ensuring that I get back on the pitch.”
“I just wanted to see myself playing again, that’s my happy place. The feeling of just being on the pitch is amazing. It’s unfortunate that I got injured on the last game of pre-season but that’s behind me.”
Kekana plated 36 games for Sundowns last season across all competitions as they secured a domestic treble and reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
