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Fungai Muderere, Senior Sports Reporter
“I AM not if sure you’ll be able to play again.”

This is what former Highlanders, Caps United, Maritzburg United and current Cape Umoya forward, Gabriel “Granvia” Nyoni was told by his doctor in Durban, South Africa, after serious injury.

The speedster suffered severe broken foot bones resulting in wires and pins being used to balance the bones inside his foot.

Nyoni (28) revealed the sad news when announcing that he may be out of action for at least eight months after suffering the nasty foot injury during a Glad Africa Championship match for his Cape Umoya side against Richards Bay.

The foot injuries that Nyoni sustained during a Glad Africa Championship match for his Cape Umoya side against Richards Bay

Speaking to Chronicle Sport from South Africa, Nyoni somberly said: “The career might be over. The doctor is saying he cannot promise anything just yet. He also said I might not play again. The break is slowly getting better and the doctors are trying to manage the pain as best they can.”

The last week has been traumatic for Nyoni, leaving him wondering if he still has a career as a footballer.

Not only did he break bones in his left foot, but he also returned a positive test for Covid-19 and is now fighting for his health from two fronts.

Nyoni joined Cape Umoya in September last year from Maritzburg United, where he had signed a two-year contract, with the option of a 12-month extension, but constant injury lay-offs resulted in him being offloaded.

Gabriel Nyoni in hospital.

He scored his first goal for Cape Umoya in January against Uthongati.

The speedy forward joined Maritzburg United at the beginning of the 2019/2020 season from Caps United with high expectations.

He had switched to the Harare side after spending six years at Bosso from 2012.

A holder of a degree in marketing from the National University of Science and Technology (Nust), Nyoni is still hopeful he can still make a return to the game possibly with Highlanders or any other local club for a swansong season before he calls time on his career.

He feels that he may need a fresh start if he were to fully recover from his injury, saying the layoff may be just too long for him to bounce back and command a starting place at his club in South Africa.

However, Granvia should take solace from ex-Chicken Inn skipper Danny “Deco” Phiri, who returned to the field for his Lamontville Golden Arrows after a long layoff caused by a career threatening knee injury. — @FungaiMuderere