Mahlangu to use Europa League as springboard
Midfielder eyes big move after playing in the competition
South African international May Mahlangu says the Europa League is the perfect shop window to attract interest from Europe’s big leagues.
Mahlangu, who plays for Romanian side Dinamo Bucuresti, will be in action tonight when they host Spanish side Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of the third qualifying round.
The competition may not be as big as the Champions League, but Mahlangu told Sowetan yesterday that it’s still a great platform.
“The football in such a platform is very competitive,” said Mahlangu, who has previous experience in this competition with his former club, Sweden’s IFK Goteborg.
“It’s another stepping stone, which indicates growth both on and off the field, and yes, playing on an international scale increases your chances of moving to other leagues and does open windows for me.
“Hopefully, I will secure another move in due time,” said Mahlangu.
The 28-year-old has played in Sweden, Turkey and Belgium before moving to Romania late last year.
He was previously heavily linked with Spanish club Espanyol in 2014, but the move never materialised.
Despite this, the Secundaborn, Mpumalanga, midfielder is still hopeful he can clinch a big move and is focused on doing well in this year’s Europa League to increase his chances of a move.
“A player has to be physically and mentally fit before playing in such competitions. Dedication is key,” he added.
Another South African international who will be involved in this competition is Andile Jali, who plays for Belgian side KV Oostende, who face French side Marseille away.
If Mahlangu and Jali’s teams make it to the last 48, they will join the likes of Bongani Zungu (Vitoria de Guimaraes, Portugal) and Thulani Serero (Vitesse, Netherlands) in the next round of qualifying. Mamelodi Sundowns] and I think for me it’s about treating it as a normal game. It’s about trying to be in control of the controllables,” he said.
Bucs’ other new signing Christian Obiozor was hard at work with the rest of the squad yesterday, but Musa Nyatama, the midfielder signed from Bloemfontein Celtic, was not part of the session as he was making his way to Gauteng.