Kaizer Chiefs DStv Diski Challenge coach Vela Khumalo has advised winger Mfundo Vilakazi that he should not lose his flair just because he is now with the senior team.
Vilakazi was promoted to the senior team towards the end of last year after some brilliant displays in the Diski team, leading coach Cavin Johnson to bring him into the senior side.
Unlike Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns, who have brought back Relebohile Mofokeng, Azola Matrose and Siyabonga Mabena to play in the Diski team during the Africa Cup of Nations break, Vilakazi has been excused to train with the first team as part of the preparation of the second half of the DStv Premiership season.
Vilakazi, who is currently a fan favorite, scored for the PSL All Stars in the 2-1 win over Stellenbosch FC in last month’s Carling Black Label Cup at Peter Mokaba Stadium, and Khumalo believes he must continue with his confident style of play.
“He knows, he must be himself, he must not go there and start now trying something we don’t know,” Khumalo told iDiski Times.
“People know him as a player who brings flair, but he is technically good, he can score goals and all of that. He mustn’t change. What made him be promoted, he must keep that.
“If he is going to change that side, then it is going to be a problem. But you see he is doing very well, he still working well, and it is the Obrigado that you know.”
It has been a struggle pathway for the development players to the senior team at Chiefs in recent times, with some struggling to adapt to the demands of the club.
Players like Wandile Dube, Mduduzi Shabalala, Sabelo Radebe, Samkelo Zwane, and Aden McCarthy have all struggled to make a lasting impact in the senior team, even though they still have time to develop.
However, the coaching changes at the club have not helped the course either, with coaches overlooking young players to get the results to appease the masses, who are in pain as they have seen Pirates and Sundowns win trophies regularly.
Vilakazi will hope he is not one of those players to fall off the cliff but hit the ground running when Chiefs resume the DStv Premiership when they host TS Galaxy at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Tuesday next week.
