Online Reporter
Innocent Kurira, Zimpapers Sports Hub
VICE-CAPTAIN Andrew Mbeba is back in training at Highlanders, and that is the good news for Bosso supporters.
The uncertainty has not gone away.
Mbeba, whose contract expired on December 31, was spotted taking part in drills yesterday as the Bulawayo giants stepped up preparations for the new season. For weeks he had been absent from full training, fuelling speculation that his time at Barbourfields could be over.
Now he is back on the grass. But there is still no official word on whether he has signed a new deal.
The 25-year-old centre back looked short of sharpness during the brief session open to the media, which is hardly surprising after time away from full intensity work. What mattered more was his presence. In a squad still taking shape, seeing the vice-captain in Bosso colours again will calm some nerves.
It will not silence the questions.
Mbeba has been linked with moves to FC Platinum and Hardrock in recent months, while whispers of opportunities outside the country have refused to die down. His persistent right knee problem, which ruled him out of the Africa Cup of Nations finals squad with the Zimbabwe national football team, complicated his situation further.
There were fears he could require surgery that might sideline him for months. Instead, he is back training, suggesting either progress in his recovery or a determination to fight through discomfort.
For Highlanders, the stakes are clear. Mbeba is not just another defender. He is a product of the club’s development system, a leader in the dressing room and one of the more consistent performers in recent seasons. Losing him would leave a hole at the heart of the defence just as the new campaign gathers pace.
Keeping him would send a different message. Stability. Continuity. Belief.
For now, Bosso fans have sight of their vice-captain on the training ground. What they do not yet have is clarity.
And until pen meets paper, Mbeba’s return feels like the first chapter of a story that is still being written.
