On-loan Lepasa not really keen to go back to Pirates

You can almost feel a heavy sense of resentment from Zakhale Lepasa when he talks about Orlando Pirates as if the striker wants nothing to do with the Buccaneers.

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The 25-year-old is currently on loan at SuperSport United until the end of the season and is showing close to no appetite to return to Jose Riviero’s side.

Lepasa has revealed that he is the one who pushed Pirates to allow him to go out on loan.

“I am doing well, it is a different environment and what I like is the different freedom that I have been given to learn and try to help the team.

“I was the one who asked for the loan move because I just thought that I needed to play a lot more so I can gain my strength and confidence back. If you are playing for three games and then the next five you are not playing, you don’t really know where your career is going and that is why I asked for the loan,” said Lepasa.

Why is he showing Bucs a cold shoulder?

“At the moment I am not even thinking about going back, I don’t think about what will happen at the end of the season. I am trying to focus on SuperSport and try to help them because I am here. When the transfer window happens again, we will see if I have to move or not,” said Lepasa.

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“I still have a lot of years left at Pirates and I thought about it… each and every year will be the same thing because they are probably going to bring in three more strikers at the end of the season and you are always low in the hierarchy. even if you push yourself, one mistake you are out so it does not really work out for me,” he added.  

Pressure versus comfort

One would assume that being at United eases the pressure for Lepasa in contrast to the high demands with the Sea Robbers, as they are one of the biggest teams in the country. However, Lepasa would rather be in a more challenging environment than being in a place where he finds too much comfort.

“In terms of pressure, I am not where I want to be. I want to be at a place where there is too much pressure because it forces you to work hard and you grow as a player. There is less pressure here and there is more freedom to play and express yourself. But my goal is to be at a place where there is pressure,” he said.

“My goal is not to play in the PSL for the rest of my career. If there is a chance, it does not matter where, as long as it is better than here, then why not? Football only changes your life if you are on the field, not on the bench or sitting in the stands.

“A loan doesn’t guarantee that you are going to play. I started the first three games and I did not play in the last game. I need to work hard, it does not matter that you are coming from Pirates,” Lepasa added.

To see Lepasa’s detailed statistics in the top-flight, click here.