RWANDA national team (Amavubi) captain and Tanzania’s Simba Sports Club playmaker Haruna Niyonzima is edging closer to full recovery after going under the knife to repair a damaged right knee in India last month.

Niyonzima, who joined Simba from arch-rivals Young Africans (Yanga) in August 2017, sustained the injury during a training session in early January.

He missed the ‘Mapinduzi’ tournament staged in Zanzibar later that month as well as Simba’s matches in CAF Confederation Cup where they dropped out in the first round at the hands of Al-Masry SC of  Egypt.

On the recommendation of club doctors, the Rwandan international was flown to India last month where he underwent successful surgery.

He returned to Tanzania and has been training for the last two weeks. It had been feared the playmaker would miss the rest of the season.

Speaking to Times Sport from Dar es Salaam on Thursday, Niyonzima said, "The operation in India went well. The doctors did a great job, I started light training last week and, this week, I began working with the rest of the team. I hope to return to full fitness soon and started playing.”

Simba Sports Club lead the Tanzanian Premier League with 46 points, level with second-placed Young Africans after 20 matches.

Niyonzima, who took over the Amavubi captain in 2013 following the retirement of Olivier Karekezi from international football, joined Young Africans in 2012 and went lead the club to four Tanzanian league titles in 2012/13, 2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17 as well as the CECAFA Kagame Cup in 2011 and 2012.

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