I will be ready for the Women's World Cup - Kgatlana

Kgatlana was speaking during a South African Football Journalists Association (SAFJA) virtual presser from the USA, where she finally joined her club Racing Louisville FC two weeks ago.

The former African footballer of the year has been sidelined since July last year after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon during the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco. Kgatlana says playing in the World Cup is everyone’s dream.

"The World Cup is still a bit far; we have a couple of months to go. I've had a great team in South Africa over the last six months that I've been home. They've been really helping me and pushing me to be where I am today. I'm sure a lot of you have seen that I've been running and training. My goal obviously is to be ready for the World Cup," she said.

Kgatlana has thanked South African Football Association (SAFA) Chief Medical Officer Dr Thulani Ngwenya for overseeing her rehabilitation back home and also being in constant communication with her club. She says this has made things easier and she possibly recovered quicker than anticipated.

"We know that when I got injured news came out from SAFA that I will be out for a year. If you do your research about Achilles tendon you will know that it takes about nine to 11 months, depending on how good your rehabilitation programme is and so far, being in Louisville it's been great.

The team here has also been in contact with Dr Thulani Ngwenya in South Africa and making sure that my programme is well so that when I come here I do not start from scratch. But more or less have a foundation of where I start with my training," Kgatlana concluded.