A stepping stone to Europe for Pitso?

Former Mamelodi Sundowns midfield star Bennett Mnguni said the resignation of coach Pitso Mosimane was a huge blow to the club.

Mosimane, who brought unrivalled success to Sundowns over the past seven years, including the Caf Champions League and five league titles, resigned from the club to take over at Egyptian giant Al Ahly.

“In my view, I think it’s a huge loss for Mamelodi Sundowns because he brought so much success to the club and we wanted someone we can keep for many years like Alex Ferguson,” Mnguni, who played for Sundowns in two stints between 1998 and 2006, said.

“After he signed an extension earlier this year, I really thought he was going to stay for much longer. This situation is like that of a player who gets a good offer overseas — even though his team is performing and he is the one helping them, he has to take a decision.

It is similar to what happened to me when I left Sundowns — if there is a better offer, you make the move.”

Mnguni, who played in the Uefa Champions League for Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow and was coached by Mosimane as a junior at Sundowns, said going to Egypt would be a stepping stone to Europe for the coach.

“Going to a big club like Al Ahly gives him a chance to be exposed to the European market. Who knows, he may interest one of the bigger teams there.

“It ’ s a dream for anyone in this football business to grow and move to bigger clubs. Some of the European teams will see that he is not only a local coach.

“They will notice that he is someone who wants to grow and that he has challenged himself by getting out of his comfort zone to a country with a different culture and way of doing things. It’s a loss f but we cannot stop him from growing.”

Mnguni said he was not sure who should take over from Mosimane but priority should be given to the coaches who had worked with Downs’ boss.

“I don’t want to mention any names in this regard but those who are left at the club must be given a chance. They have been around the club for a while — they know everything about the club and the players understand them.

“This can also be an opportunity for someone like me to go there as an assistant-coach to learn from whoever is the coach. I know the philosophy of the club ... but it depends on the management.”