Thulani Hlatshwayo has been committing costly mistakes at Orlando Pirates. Picture: Gavin Barker/BackpagePix.
There could be a bigger problem behind the mistake prone Orlando Pirates defender, Thulani “Tyson” Hlatshwayo’s uninspiring performances since joining his boyhood club at the start of the season.
ALSO READ: Unhappy Makusu Mundele set to leave Orlando Pirates
Hlatshwayo, who was handed the team captaincy when he joined, has disappointed and his mistakes have been costly to the Buccaneers cause, but a source has claimed that he could be going through a rough patch.
“He had a long meeting with the chairman last week where some issues were raised because as a father, the chairman was worried about his progression since joining.
“But what was surprising is that just after that meeting, he went and made that horrendous mistake that almost cost them the game against Swallows,” said a source.
Hlatshwayo, who is Bafana Bafana captain, joined Pirates amid a big fanfare last year as he had publicly said that he’d wish to play for the side he grew up supporting. He was highly rated having successfully captained Bidvest Wits for a number of years.
The source said the defender could be given some time off, but it could be tricky now after that mistake [against Swallows] because it will look like he is being singled out and punished if he is excluded from the team.
Meanwhile, as reported earlier, an insider at Pirates has revealed that striker Jean-Marc Makusu Mundele is not interested in extending his contract with the club and wants to go back to his parent club AS Vita in the Democratic Republic of Congo at the end of this campaign.
Mundele is said to have made a decision not to stay in South Africa due to lack of game time, with the striker having only made eight appearances for the Soweto giants since his loan spell began last year.
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