Orlando Pirates coach Milutin Sredojevic has again explained the reason behind highly-rated midfielder Thamsanqa Sangweni”s absence from the team.

The 28-year-old has only made three appearances since arriving at the Mayfair based outfit from Chippa United which has prompted rumors of an early exit from the Soweto giants, however Micho’s latest comments could suggest otherwise.

Sredojevic, previously suggested that the former Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder needed to work harder to establish himself as a permanent member of the first team.

When recently asked about Sangweni, the Serbian mentor revealed that Sangweni has been unfortunate with injuries hindering his progress with the Buccaneers this season.

“‘When I look at everything, I need to tell you he played, but then had a period of injury,” he told the media.

“He came back and once more he had an injury. Now just in the international break [recently], he was sick and he joined us just four days before we played a match.

“He’s once more on the way to regain his fitness. It’s really very unfortunate for him.

“The technical team has the highest degree of respect for his human and football qualities, but it’s unfortunate. He’s knocking, he’s there,” he added.

-This story originally appeared on SportsClub.co.za