Highlanders’ new signing Tinashe Makanda is set to spend six weeks on the sidelines after sustaining an injury on Saturday.

The striker suffered a groin strain during his debut for the Bulawayo Giants against Nichrut and was subbed off just after twenty minutes of play.

Assistant coach Mandla Mpofu confirmed the news at a press conference on Tuesday ahead of their potentially explosive derby encounter against Chicken Inn on Thursday.

“Unfortunately, on the new guys that we signed during the mid-season transfer window period, Tinashe (Makanda) played only 20 minutes, and he got injured, and we had to make a forced substitution in the previous match,” Mpofu said.

“After the game, the doctor confirmed that the maximum for him to recover would be six weeks, although we wait for further updates from the medical team.”

Another new acquisition Tafadzwa Sibanda is expected to take Makanda’s place and lead the front line tomorrow. The youngster came on as a second-half substitute in the last game and put up an exceptional performance where he almost found the back of the net on his debut.