Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has admitted that attacker Oswin Appollis is not in the kind of fitness state the technical team wishes.
Appollis, 24, has featured in all of Pirates’ five matches in the league and the cup this season and has one goal so far coming in the league.
This is in contrast to the start he enjoyed in his first season with the side last campaign where he was one of the outstanding players.
He started in the MTN8 semi-final first leg win away at Sekhukhune United in Polokwane on Saturday where he was misfiring before being subbed in the 65th minute.
Ouaddou says he knew from the start of the season that the internationals who were at the 2026 FIFA World Cup were going to endure some difficulties citing the injuries to Thalente Mbatha and Evidence Makgopa.
He added he doesn’t want Appollis to suffer the same fate hence the management of not playing him a full game.
“You are right to say he’s one of our best players and when you have a diamond in your house you have to protect him,” said Ouaddou.
“Appollis is Appollis you know him. He’s somebody that is 50% I can even say 40% and he can score at any moment so, we are not surprised. He’s not only the player that is not in the fitness state that we want. In Europe as well all the guys who have been in the World Cup, we can see that it’s difficult for them.
“With our performance department, medical department, the technical staff, we are doing everything for him to come back in the good shape. And for that today in the game he’s improving. And today it was a moment for us to protect him maybe for him to rest and not to risk any injury because I have been saying this since the beginning, I knew that all these international players they will be tired.
“And in order to protect them I need to anticipate any game injuries. It’s my job to do that sometimes the players they don’t understand it they are not happy to go out. But it’s my duty to protect them because we have seen in other teams that I don’t want to mention they have unfortunately very big injuries.
“So, in Pirates we want to avoid that with our international players. We already have two players that have had surgery with Mbatha, and we have Makgopa injured as well so we don’t want to have more players injured because the season will be very long.”
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