Nauseb has operation

Although Santos has had a slow start to the season, Nauseb opted to go under the knife to rectify a foot fracture. He could have played with it, but chose not to take a risk.

“The doctors told me that they could put a plaster on it so that I can recover and play again or I could have the operation to completely fix the problem,” recalls Nauseb.

“But since it was something that was irritating when I play I thought it be best that I have the operation so that when I return I am at my best. I really need to do well here at Santos so that I transfer that form to the national team when we go to Ghana. I really want to be at my best when we go to Ghana because that might be the last Nations Cup Final that I play in.

“Recovering from the operation might take longer to heal, but when I am back I will be super ready. The sad thing is that I picked the injury accidentally at training while trying to avoid a tackle. For now I am working on my fitness levels while completing my rehabilitation. I should be at training within a week,” says Nauseb.

The 33-year-old midfielder is the only surviving Namibian player from the 1998 squad that went to the finals in Burkina Faso and has only played once this season, coming on as a substitute against Moroka Swallows.