WARRIORS captain Knowledge Musona’s hopes of making an immediate impact following his loan move to struggling Belgian side KSC Lokeren suffered a setback after being diagnosed with chickenpox, which is expected to rule him out of action for a few weeks.
The 28-year-old forward was conspicuous by his absence from the Lokeren squad as they suffered a 3-0 defeat against Zulte-Waregem at home which left them facing an uphill task in their quest to survive relegation.
Lokeren manager Glen De Boeck revealed that the Zimbabwe international is expected to be out of action for a few weeks.
“He’s been sick since this week and it looks like he’s been suffering from chickenpox, so it’ll be out for a few weeks,” De Boeck told the Belgian publication Walfoot. “But anyway, one player cannot make a difference in our struggle for survival.”
The illness comes after Musona endured a nightmare debut for his new club Sporting Lokeren after a 4-1 thrashing away to AS Eupen two weeks ago.
The Warriors captain joined the basement side recently on loan from fellow league side Anderlecht for the remainder of the season, as he looks to resurrect his faltering club career.
According to reports from Belgium, Lokeren, who anchor the log-standings with 14 points from 23 games, paid a loan fee of around € 500000 for Musona’s move which will run until June 30.
Musona decided to leave Anderlecht, a side he joined at the start of the season, as he had been reduced to a fringe player, having failed to replicate the form he enjoyed during his stay at previous club KV Oostende.
So frustrated was Musona with lack of playing opportunities at Anderlecht that he turned to popular televangelist TB Joshua recently, seeking divine intervention over his faltering career.
The Zimbabwe Warriors captain struggled to nail down a first team jersey under former boss Vanhaezebrouck, who was sacked earlier this month and was hoping for a change of fortunes under new coach Fred Rutten.
But it appears Rutten was also not convinced by the former Kaizer Chiefs and Hoffeinheim man, whom he decided to ship out so that he gets game time elsewhere.
Earlier reports had linked Musona with a move back to KV Oostende or the Major League Soccer (MLS) in the US, but Lokeren tabled a better offer for the man who is nicknamed “The Smiling Assassin”.
