Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Rulani Mokwena has spoken about the dilemma the club faces with one of their players currently out on loan.
Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Rulani Mokwena has spoken about the dilemma the club faces with one of their players currently out on loan.
Phakamani Mahlambi will spent the 2021/22 season at Chippa United with Gavin Hunt after a failed spell with AmaZulu the year before.
According to information provided to the Siya crew, the attacker has a contract with Downs until June 2024, but Mokwena and his technical team don’t seem to have any plans for him in the club’s bigger picture.
“Well, he is still our player, and we still have a small amount of belief that hopefully he can fulfil his potential at the club. But he needs guidance and a bit of help as well as support,” the coach told the Siya crew.
At Usuthu, Mokwena’s counterpart Benni McCarthy, hardly made room for Mahlambi in his team and suggested the player did not take his career seriously.
“I don’t know, I try to refrain from commenting about Phakamani simply because I don’t know him very well. I know him based on what I’ve seen and the little time I spent with him before the start of the previous season,” said Mokwena.
“His troubles are well-documented, and I think his story is one that clearly reflects why they say there’s a curse in the rising star – and probably the articles that portray his career in a negative way is probably not the best thing for him,” the Downs mentor explained.
“I think if he doesn’t get as much publicity and elevation from a social perspective, maybe he can focus on his career, maybe. That could help lessen the noise and help him become a better version of himself. He is in a very difficult space because he is immensely talented. I’ve read a book titled Talented, Hunted and Haunted, and that, unfortunately, sums up Phakamani’s career so far.”
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