Siyabonga Nomvethe's return from injury has been further delayed with the South Africa and Moroka Swallows striker set to undergo surgery.
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'Bhele', as he's affectionately known by his team-mates, suffered ligament damage in Swallows' 3-0 victory over Orlando Pirates on September 1.
The veteran's injury cost him a spot in the Bafana Bafana squad for their friendlies against Brazil and Mozambique.
Swallows team doctor Ephraim Nematswerani said last week that Nomvethe was making good progress and was expected back in training on Monday.
But after further tests on the 34-year-old's injured toe, Nematswerani has confirmed the prolific marksman could be sidelined for another two months.
The extended lay-off now casts doubt over Nomvethe's participation at the African Cup of Nations, which will be hosted by South Africa early next year.
"We did the MRI scan on Thursday, which confirmed our initial diagnoses of a ligament sprain of the big toe joint," Nematswerani told the media.
"After the scan, the orthopaedic surgeon and I agreed it will be better for Bhele to go for an operation.
"The problem is that you can end up having hallux limitus, which basically means you may have reduced range of motion of the big toe joint. The only way to prevent that is do the operation."
Nomvethe could possibly make his comeback for the Dube Birds in December, but Nematswerani insists all precaution will be taken and the player won't be rushed back, even for AFCON.
He added: "It's still early to talk about the Afcon finals for him. For us the health of the player is more important because Afcon will come and go."
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