BONGANI MALUNGA
Zebras coach Peter Butler has stated that he maintains trust and faith in South African based midfielder Mpho Kgaswane despite omitting him from the latest national team camp. The Baroka FC midfielder has not featured for the national team since 2015 following a dip in form, a recent move to the Premier Soccer League was expected to get him back into the national team but Butler has stated that the player is not yet ready to return at the moment.
His lengthy absence had given some observers impressions that Kgaswane was no longer in the coach’s plans but the Englishman has dispelled that notion in an interview with Gazette Sport. “I have been monitoring him and keeping in touch with him. At the moment I have plenty of cover in his position but he will get a call up once he has settled at his new club. We are not ignoring him, he will get a chance. We felt it is in his best interests to stay and familiarize himself with his new surroundings. Hopefully he will get more minutes under his belt and all sides will benefit from that,” the Zebras coach explained.
Kgaswane has recently played in two consecutive games for Baroka, he made his debut in their 2-0 victory over FC Cape Town in the Nedbank Cup, he also played in the side’s 2-2 draw against Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs.
Butler’s selection of unattached midfielder Ofentse Nato has also raised questions given the fact that the coach had cited form for some of his omissions. The coach revealed that despite Nato’s inactivity at club level he still considers his presence in the squad as a major factor due to his experience.
“Nato is in the squad for training purposes. We want to assess his fitness and keep him in mind for the upcoming games in the next few months, he has been training on his own and I believe he has also been training with Mogobane United, he has been a vital piece of our set up and we want to continue the same formula,” Butler concluded.