Wigan Athletic star given Bolton Wanderers all-clear

The 29-year-old was given the green light to fly out and join up with his colleagues for Saturday’s World Cup qualifier against Ghana at the Cape Coast Stadium on Saturday.

But he’ll return to the UK before next Tuesday’s second leg on home soil due to quarantine requirements.

That means he’ll be able to play for Latics in the big derby at Bolton on Saturday week.

Zimbabwe manager Wellington Mpandare is expecting all his overseas players to report for duty.

“This has not been an easy trip,” he told ‘The Herald’ in Zimbabwe. “We travelled in batches and we are happy with the assistance we received from our Embassy staff here, led by Ambassador Kufa Chinoza.

“He has been at the airport, sometimes at 3am, waiting for some players who arrived during those unusual hours.

“Special thanks to the ZIFA board for their support.

“We know the fans back home expect us to do a professional job. The team is ready to do their best.

“So we need everyone’s support. Remember, this is the first game for our new coach, so let’s support him through thick and thin.

Three other UK-based players in the squad – Marvelous Nakamba (Aston Villa), Jordan Zemura (Bournemouth) and Brendan Galloway (Plymouth) – will also only be available for the first leg.

Meanwhile, Latics will be cheered on by almost 4,000 fans against neighbours Bolton.

The club have confirmed the last of the 3,924 allocation has been snapped up for big game at Horwich on October 16.

Get 20% off our sports subscription package and stay up to date with all the latest Wigan Athletic news with a year’s subscription to WiganToday for less than 9p a day. Use promo code TRANSFER20