Pitso Mosimane has reacted to the criticism Percy Tau has received over his move to Al Ahly and also revealed after which game he made the decision to try and sign him.
The Al Ahly coach signed Tau for the Egyptian giants last week, joining Al Ahly from Brighton & Hove Albion in a deal understood to be worth €1.8 million.
However, some fans in South Africa as well as some legends and pundits have since come out, saying Tau took a step back in his career.
Mosimane, though, has insisted that Tau did not get enough chances in Europe and had to make this decision for the benefit of his career.
“Look, the boy has been a Brighton player for three-and-a-half to four years, has he played for Brighton?,” Mosimane said on Soccerzone.
“Six months, how many touches? We can’t get an answer. Percy is 28 years, he has four years to go. When is he going to play football?
“The last time I saw Percy dancing and play football was with me here four years back. When have you seen Percy dancing again? I haven’t seen him play football.
“When Percy plays football, you know how he is, he does so many amazing things. When were you going to see them when Brighton don’t want him?”
Mosimane also insisted that Tau didn’t get enough respect during his loan spells in Belgium.
“When he was Player of the Season, where was he playing? Second division in Belgium,” he explained.
“The minute he went to Anderlecht on loan, he played very well. Was he given enough time to play in the match? Never. Why?
“He went to Club Brugge, one of the biggest teams in Belgium. He played Champions League, several starts, but the first person to go out is Percy.
“I said to myself ‘give him a chance, let him play. You don’t know what this boy is capable of. I’ve seen it. Give him a chance’.
“He plays in the FA Cup, I’ve watched the match. That’s when I said, I’m watching him. He played in an FA Cup, he danced, he was substituted he never played again.
“He played in pre-season against Luton Town, he dribbled the people and then after that where is he? And he came off the bench, in a pre-season game against Luton Town, excuse me. They gave him no respect.”
