Showing Promise
Mkhuma ‘next big thing’ at Sundowns
Remember the name Promise Lebo Mkhuma as Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane has tipped him to become the next big thing to emerge from the club’s conveyor belt of talent.
Mosimane believes the 20year-old has the potential to follow in the footsteps of Percy Tau‚ Keagan Dolly and Bongani Zungu, who all blazed a trail at Sundowns before taking their talents to Europe.
The future superstar turned 20 on Sunday and was this season promoted to the Sundowns’ senior side after impressing in the MDC team for a couple of seasons.
“I think this young boy [Mkhuma] we’ve just promoted — Promise — he’s going to show us something‚” Mosimane said.
But Mosimane cautioned against throwing the young player into the deep end‚ saying a loan spell to one of the Premier Soccer League teams next season may help Tshwane-born Mkhuma to gain experience before returning to Sundowns.
“In my opinion I need to loan him out. He must go play and he must follow what Percy and Keagan followed‚” Mosimane
said. “Madisha went on loan to Highlands Park and all that.
“[Sphelele] Mkhulisi went to Black Leopards. [Themba Zwane] Mshishi went to [Mpumalanga Black] Aces.
“Even Dennis Onyango went to [Bidvest] Wits.”
Mosimane said the loan spells tended to have an adverse effect on the players if not done in a proper way with the player concerned.
“Sometimes the loan spell works‚ especially when you’re genuine to the player‚” Mosimane star.
“It mustn’t be a matter of saying hamba asisakufuni manje (go, we don’t want you for now). Then it will backfire.
“If it’s in a good spirit and you phone the player and check ‘hey, ngibonile ukuthi udlala kahle (hey, I saw that you played so well) but heyi ndoda (hey, man) what happened‚ you didn’t put a lot of effort’.
“Then he knows he has to come back and he says ‘I didn’t fail at Sundowns‚ I have never been given the opportunity’.
“So those are the other things that you have to make sure you tick with these players.
“So with Promise we have to leave him to go on loan and go play.”