Mamelodi Sundowns defender Mothobi Mvala has admitted that breaking back into the starting line-up will not be straightforward following his return from a lengthy injury lay-off, with the competition for places in the club’s defence showing little sign of easing.
Mvala endured a frustrating period on the sidelines but has now returned to action, only to find several defenders establishing themselves as options for head coach Miguel Cardoso.
The Brazilians have considerable depth in central defence this season, with Mvala competing alongside Kegan Johannes, Khulumani Ndamane, Keanu Cupido, Grant Kekana, Wandile Dube and Malibongwe Khoza.
While every player naturally wants regular minutes, Mvala acknowledged that the standard within the squad means opportunities cannot be taken for granted, particularly when returning from an extended absence.
“To be honest, since I got to this club, there’s always been competition. It was not easy for me personally. I knew when I come back, it won’t be easy because the guys are doing well, but being patient and hoping I’ll get my chance,” Mvala said.
The defender also opened up on the mental challenges of being left out, admitting that a lack of playing time can sometimes create doubts about one’s own ability and what more needs to be done to convince the technical team.
“Obviously every player wants to play but if you’re not chosen, it will always give you some doubt, like am I good enough? What must I do? At Sundowns, sometimes you don’t get a lot of time to show the coach to say I’m ready, put me in,” he added.
“Most of the time we’re doing tactical sessions but at least the coach always organised friendly games for us, who are not playing, to keep us fit and when our time comes, we’re ready to perform and deliver for the club.”
Despite the competition, the 33-year-old insisted that he remained patient throughout his recovery and was confident another opportunity would eventually arrive.
With Sundowns competing across multiple competitions, the demands of a congested fixture schedule could also create opportunities through injuries, suspensions and fatigue.
“So, I was ready, I knew my chance would come. As a team we play many games, sometimes there’s fatigue there, suspensions, injuries but the competition is tough, I hope they put me in again on Sunday,” he concluded.