Ajax Cape Town have confirmed that Tercious Malepe is expected to be out of action for eight weeks after picking up a major injury.

The 20-year-old has been one of the Urban Warriors stand-out performers this campaign since making a loan move from Orlando Pirates during the transfer window.

Ajax head of medical, Jantho Greyling, confirmed that Malepe will spend a lengthy time on the sidelines after picking up a back injury after their 2-0 defeat to rivals Cape Town City.

“We got a bit of bad news on Monday after the Derby game. We sent Tercious for a CT scan of his lower back, and we found that he has a stress fracture of his L5 vertebrae,” Greyling told his club’s official website.

“Which means that he will be out of action for a minimum of six weeks, after which we will take another CT scan and see if that vertebrae has healed and then slowly get him back into it.

“But, yes, he will probably be out for around six weeks, which is a big blow for us because he was doing very well. It is a very unfortunate injury.”

Ajax Cape Town will be without Malepe when they take on Free State Stars at Goble Park when the Absa Premiership resumes on 18 October, following the Fifa international break.

Photo: Chris Ricco/BackpagePix

-This story originally appeared on SportsClub.co.za