The Warriors squad has suffered further depletion after three more players have been withdrawn on medical grounds.

Striker Evans Rusike sustained a torn Achilles tendon during training on Sunday. Also pulling out due to injury and fitness issues are Perfect Chikwende and Godknows Murwira.

The trio joins Knox Mutizwa, Kevin Moyo and Germany-based midfielder Jonah Fabisch who were dropped from the selection earlier on.

Mutizwa withdrew from the squad to attend to some family issues while Moyo pulled out because of an injury.

Fabisch failed to travel for the tournament due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The 19-year old was supposed to meet up with the rest of the squad in South Africa, but his club, Hamburger SV II, feared he could be affected by the third wave of the outbreak that has swept across the host country.

Coach Zdravko Logarusic is now left with nineteen players from the initial twenty-five man squad called last week.

Ben Musaka of Harare City was roped in on Friday and it’s not yet clear if more players will be called in.

The team is set to depart on Monday.

The Warriors are in Group C and will start their campaign on the 8th against Mozambique at the Isaac Wolfson Stadium. They will face Namibia three days later in their second match before wrapping it up with a game against Senegal on the 14th.