Orlando Pirates captain Benson Mhlongo is set to face a lengthy period on the sidelines after it was revealed that he will have to undergo surgery on his injured knee.

The 28-year-old underwent extensive scans on Friday which confirmed that he will have to go under the doctor's knife in order to repair his knee.

"Benson has suffered multiple injuries to his knee," Orlando Pirates physician Dr Bobby Ramasiya told the club's official website.

"Scans have revealed that he has suffered extensive damage to his ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and the PCL (posterior cruciate ligament), some damage to the patella is evident and a tear of the meniscus is also a possibility but that will only be confirmed once the swelling has gone down."

Dr. Ramasiya said that the full extent of the injury could only be revealed once Mhlongo underwent a scope after the swelling on his knee has subsided.

He continued: "The Orthopedic surgeon has informed me that there is just too much swelling around Benson's knee to start anything...they have advised that we wait for the swelling to go down before they can conduct a knee arthroscopy.

"In the meantime, Benson will start rehabilitation to get the supporting muscles working again and make them strong ahead of imminent surgery."