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Robson Sharuko in Cairo, Egypt

THE Zimbabwe Warriors have suffered an early blow with midfielder, Tafadzwa Kutinyu, being ruled out of the 2019 Afcon finals – just three days before the tournament gets underway on Friday night.

The 25-year-old, who recently sealed a high-profile move from Tanzania to Guinea football giants Horoya, is the first Warrior to be ruled out of the Nations Cup finals after having arrived at the tournament.

Harare Bureau revealed Kutinyu was struggling with a muscle strain and his injury appeared to worsen overnight as he remained heavily strapped yesterday.

The Warriors medical team then recommended a scan which showed the midfielder would not recover in time to play in the tournament.

It’s a massive blow for the team, given Kutinyu has been used very well as cover for the regular midfielders, usually injecting more energy every time he has been thrown into the fray.

“It’s sad that we have to announce that Kutinyu will not be able to play at the tournament because of an injury he suffered recently in one of the games we played coming here,’’ team manager Wellington Mpandare told Harare Bureau.

“It’s a shame because he is such a nice person and had earned his place in the team with some fine performances every time he has played for the team. The coaches will now have to decide who comes in as a replacement because we are allowed to do that.’’

The lanky midfielder has not trained with the Warriors in the last two days.