Following reports that Mamelodi Sundowns defender Rushine De Reuck is back in the country, KickOff has the latest on his situation.
De Reuck entered the 2024/25 season on the back of a long-term injury, which kept him out of the team for the majority of the games last term.
The former Maritzburg United centre-back was eased back into action at the beginning of the campaign by former coach Manqoba Mngqithi, featuring in the team, either on the pitch or on the bench, after making five appearances in all competitions.
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The arrival of new head coach Miguel Cardoso in December last year, however, affected the 29-year-old's playing chances, as the cool, calm and collected defender was one of a few Sundowns players who found loan deals in January in search of game time, alongside the likes of Thembinkosi Lorch and Lebohang Maboe, as he was signed by Israeli side Maccabi Petah Tivka.
The move to Israel was a bold move by De Reuck in the middle of the season and he seemed to have settled quickly, after making four appearances as a starter in the six games he was available between February and March, before being interrupted towards the end of the season.
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Reports emerged at the beginning of the month that the Bafana Bafana centre-back was back earlier than anticipated in the country, with the Israeli Premier League yet to conclude.
This website can confirm that De Reuck has remained in the country after a dental surgery forced him to forgo the tail end of the campaign, with Maccabi in the relegation play-offs.
"Yeah, Rushine is back in the country, he basically had to come back early because he had to have surgery on an infected wisdom tooth," an official at SSG confirmed to this publication.
There was uncertainty with regards to the 29-year-old reportedly training with Sundowns but this website can also reveal that the Cape Town native defender has officially ended his loan spell at Petah Tikva and is back with his mother club The Brazilians, as per the loan rules.
"That's why he came back before the end of the season. But apart from the wisdom tooth issue, causing him to miss some games, he quite enjoyed the experience in Israel but he's now back at Sundowns," the insider added.
