Racing Louisville and Banyana Banyana striker Thembi Kgatlana says she is concentrating on recovering fully from injury and being fit before she can worry herself about making Desiree Ellis’ 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup squad.
The 26-year-old missed the majority of Banyana’s triumphant WAFCON campaign due to injury last year.
Speaking at a South African Football Journalists Association (SAFJA) press conference from the US, Kgatlana admitted her goal is to be at the global showpiece in July, however, she knows she’s still has a long way to go.
“I mean, the World Cup is a bit far. I still have a couple of months to go and I’ve had a really great team in South Africa over the last six months that I’ve been home. They’ve been really helping me and pushing me obviously to be where I am today,” she told SAFJA.
“I’m sure a lot of you guys have seen that I have been running, I’ve been training and that is something that my team has, you know, made sure that even through being at home and enjoying time with family and friends, I’m still making sure that I come back because my goal obviously is to be ready for the World Cup.
“And we know that when I got injured news came out from the medical team from SAFA to say that I’ll be out for a year which is still true I mean, more or less.
“If you do your research about Achilles tendon, you’d know that it takes about nine to 11 months, obviously, depending on how good your rehabilitation programme is.
“So far being in Louisville, it’s been great and the team here obviously has been in contact with Dr Thulani [Ngwenya] and his team in South Africa over the years and making sure that my programme is well so that when I come here, I do not you know, start from scratch, but more or less have, you know, a base and a foundation of where I start with my training.”
Kgatlana wasn’t induced in Desiree Ellis’ squad for the Turkish Women’s Cup, which was supposed to kick off later this month but is in limbo after the horrific earth quakes that have cost over 20,000 their lives.
