What the Siya crew has been told…

The next few months, if not weeks, could be crucial in Mduduzi Mdantsane proving his worth at Kaizer Chiefs and avoid the risk of having his stay with the club cut short, sources have revealed.

So far, he hasn’t had the best of starts in his first season with the side, having joined from Cape Town City last year, and indications from close sources are that there have been concerns from both the midfielder and the club about the slow progress.

With Amakhosi having decided not to sign any players in January, the general sentiment is that they wanted to give all the players a chance to impress interim coach Cavin Johnson with decisions on the squad for next season to be made.

Therefore, for the Leandra-born man and others in a similar situation, it will be more like proving themselves what with a longterm contract in place.

“He is a quality and senior player whose signing was met with high expectations. He did well at his previous clubs, and you can’t blame anyone who expected him to hit the ground running at Chiefs,” noted one source.

“So far, things haven’t happened the way he and the club expected. He hasn’t played as much as it would have been expected of him and when he did, he wasn’t able to replicate the performances that made him to get Bafana Bafana call-ups when he was at Cape Town City. There could be a lot of factors – maybe the system that is used by the club, and things like that,” the source added.

During the Africa Cup of Nations break, the Glamour Boys have been hard at work as Johnson worked on improving the team for the league’s resumption, with Mdantsane obviously part of the preparations.

Having missed the bulk of matches since the former Al Ahly assistant coach took over in October last year, the 29-yearold is said to be working hard to impress the mentor so as to get a chance in the starting line-up.

“For Mdantsane, I think what he needs to do is to go back to the basics and do the things he did which made him a top performer at Baroka and a captain of the team. Yes, there is so much pressure at Chiefs as it is another level with different expectations, but he should do the things that made him lead Baroka to cup success (2018 Telkom Knockout triumph), and the things he did at Cape Town City that made him succeed,” explained the mole.

“Yes, he was seen as a marquee signing who didn’t come cheap from Cape Town City and it is understandable that there will be pressure for him to deliver. Also, being the club’s development product adds to the pressure, but he is someone whose level of confidence is high and is always motivated. That’s why he has always been good for the dressing room at the clubs he has been at.”

Of the eight appearances that the midfield ace has made for Amakhosi in the league, seven were under the club’s previous coach, Molefi Ntseki.

Local media reports in November suggested that the Leandra-born player was suspended by the club for contravening club rules by drinking at the function to induct chairman Dr Kaizer Motaung into the South African Hall of Fame, which might have stalled his progress somewhat. The incident, though, cannot be downplayed as a contributing factor to Mdantsane’s lack of game-time, and if Johnson continues as head coach beyond this season, it might spell trouble for the player, especially if his situation does not change in the second round of the campaign.

“He is training and working hard like everybody else and will be waiting for his chance. The coach has said all the players will get a chance,” concluded the source.