'He is ready and when we call him, I think he will be able to perform,' said the Pirates head coach.
Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou says Tshegofatso Mabasa is fully fit despite leaving the striker out of his squad for the Buccaneers’ first two games of the season.
ALSO READ: Pirates’ Ouaddou – ‘We were dominant’
Mabasa scored 15 goals in all competitions for Pirates last season, but did not feature in either the 2-0 MTN8 quarterfinal win over Polokwane City or Saturday’s shock 1-0 loss at home to Sekhukhune United in the Betway Premiership.
Pirates strikers out in the cold?
Another experienced Pirates striker, Evidence Makgopa, has also not played yet though he was on the bench for the Sekhukhune match.
The new Pirates coach has instead preferred young forward Boitumelo Radiopane in attack. Radiopane only managed one goal last season for Pirates and has not found the net in either of Pirates’ first two games this time around.
“Mabasa is available, it is a choice that we made. But he is ready and when we call him, I think he will be able to perform and give us the best of him,” said Ouaddou, after Siphesihle Mkhize’s goal gave Sekhukhune a second league win this year at Orlando Stadium.
“You can maybe ask questions because the strikers we used didn’t score. But we have a lot of players this season and everyone will get their chance at the right moment.”
The result against Sekhukhune was an early setback for Ouaddou and his side. Pirates, who won their first seven games of last season, need to find a solution quickly. They visit Ouaddou’s former club Marumo Gallants in their next Premiership match on Tuesday.
‘The league is long’
Gallants started their season with a 2-1 win at Richards Bay on Saturday.
ALSO READ: Sekhukhune raid Orlando again to stun Pirates
“I said to the boys (after the game) that there is a lot of disappointment, but there is a chance … to play again quickly and to go and win the next game. The league is still long. It was a bad start but we must get some rest and … come back.”
