Mhlongo suffered an ACL tear during Pirates’ 1-0 Absa Premiership defeat to SuperSport United on August 11. He required surgery, but is now fully fit and available for selection for the CAF Confederation Cup Final first leg encounter against Etoile du Sahel on Saturday night at Orlando Stadium.
Mhlongo’s return means Pirates have two goalkeepers available along with Felipe Ovono. Siyabonga Mpontshane is not registered for the tournament.
Tinkler, who is relieved to have Mhlongo back, believes the 24-year-old is looking sharp because he’s worked his socks off to be ready on his return to action.
“Brighton is where he is at the moment because of the positive mentality that he has and his professional attitude,” the coach says. “It has also been important for us as the technical team to encourage him because it wasn’t an easy period for him. He was doing extremely well when he picked up the injury.
“That was hard on him, but he’s been very professional in terms of his rehabilitation. We’ve worked extremely hard with him to get him to where he is right now so we are very, very happy with that.
“It’s good that he has a very good team spirit and he’s always got a smile on his face, a little bit of what Senzo [Meyiwa] used to have, and that rubs off on the rest of the players.”
Mhlongo has featured 10 times in the tournament and conceded eight goals, while Ovono has played four games and conceded seven goals.
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