South Africa youth international winger Tashreeq Matthews has won the Breakout Player of the Season at Varberg BoiS after an impressive season in Sweden.
Matthews, 21, joined Varberg from Borussia Dortmund in January 2020 and has impressed in the physically demanding Allsvenskan as they retained their status in the top-flight.
His first season brought two goals and four assists in 21 appearances but this season, as predicted by head coach Joakim Persson – the graduate from the now-defunct Ajax Cape Town has excelled.
Persson suggested that during the summer period at the start of the 2021 campaign, more fluent football that suits Matthews would see him thrive but during the winter period, his form will likely dip due to the adverse conditions and teams fighting for points at all costs with less attack-minded approaches.
His 10 goal contributions (five goals, five assists) in 27 (23 starts) games has seen him awarded by the club after the final game of the season in which they finished tenth in the 16-team division.
Matthews form has attracted interest from more high profile clubs in Sweden and Denmark this season – while he’s not the only South African who impressed.
Former SuperSport United midfielder Luke Le Roux (21) featured 25 times out of 30 games in the league his deep-lying playmaker role while Ryan Moon (25) finished as top scorer of the team with seven league goals in 25 games.
Dean Solomons (22) and Keanin Ayer (21) only featured once and three times respectively this season with injuries curtailing their progression – while the latter looks said to move on after three seasons with the club.
Ayer has attracted interest from Denmark and Norway in recent months, iDiski Times can confirm while Solomons representatives will hold talks with the club’s hierarchy to determine his long-term future.
