Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has discussed the progress of midfielder Masindi Nemtajela at the club.
The 24-year-old midfielder arrived at the club ahead of the start of the season, joining from Marumo Gallants, where he previously worked with Ouaddou last season.
Since his move, Masindi struggled to break into the Buccaneers’ lineup, watching from the stands seven games before he was an unused substitute against Chippa United last month.
His first appearance came in the MTN8 final against Stellenbosch, which his side won 3-0. He has since gone on to play a total of three matches across all competitions.
Nemtajela was named Man of the Match for his performance in the 2-0 league win over TS Galaxy on Wednesday. Ouaddou praised the player’s patience and professionalism while awaiting his turn to play.
He expressed that he knew Nemtajela’s quality from their time working together at Gallants.
“It’s very important to know the quality of the player,” said Ouaddou.
“I can tell you that he’s one of the players that helped us to have fantastic performances last season in my previous club [Marumo Gallants].
“So, I know him not just 100% but 1000%. But he arrived in a club that is big with a lot of competition and fantastic players.
“It’s very important to keep the communication clear. We trust and believe, that it’s what we did during all the moments and his professionalism helped him as well because during all that time [before getting game time], Masindi played games, in training, his performance was fantastic.
“He was always giving his best, and like I said to all the impact players, they have to be ready when the coach calls them, and they have to give a good performance.”
