Orlando Pirates striker Kermit Erasmus believes Lehlohonolo Majoro’s hunger to return to action will inspire the Buccaneers to cup success in the near future.
Majoro, who last played a competitive game three months ago before a fallout with Kaizer Chiefs, was declared a free agent by the Dispute Resolution Chamber a week ago and has since joined Pirates.
The Buccaneers fans, who have watched their strikers misfire this year, would want to see their new man on the field linking up with Erasmus upfront as soon as possible.
“I think having Majoro is a great addition to the team,” Erasmus said. “One thing I know is that he is hungry to get on the field because he has not been playing for a while and he is ready to show our fans that he is here to help the club. We as players want to win trophies for this club.
“It would be great to have a good understanding with each other on the field, not only with him but with all the other strikers. For me as a striker, it does not matter who gets to play. What matters is that we all become united and help motivate each other to do well for the team.”
Erasmus does not know much about coach Roger de Sa’s successor, Vladimir Vermezovic, but he is looking forward to working with the former Amakhosi coach as the Buccaneers look to turn their season of misfortune around.
“It was great working with Roger for the mere fact that he is a (former) player and he understands how players act. He knew how to get the best out of the players individually and as a unit. His way of motivating players was unbelievable.
“But the mood (after De Sa left) was the way it has been all the time. We knew there would be a new coach coming in.
“All I can say is that we are looking forward and prepared to work with our new coach,” the former SuperSport United man said.
“He (Vermezovic) coached Kaizer Chiefs before and I’m sure he is a good coach because only the best come to Orlando Pirates and that’s why the club appointed him as our new coach.”
Erasmus has struggled for goals since moving from SuperSport this season, with just the five goals in all competitions, but has credited De Sa for improving his game.
“He helped me a lot in terms of how I should play the role behind the strikers and that I should not play too deep and isolate the (main) striker.
“That helped me a lot in creating chances for the team.”
After their 1-0 victory over Mamelodi Sundowns at Loftus on Tuesday, the former Feyenoord striker feels Pirates should not be ruled out of the league title race.
The Buccaneers are in sixth place on 27 points, 16 points behind leaders Amakhosi with three games in hand.
“It’s always been important for Pirates to win trophies each year because we’re a big club with a rich history and winning is expected of you as a team like the big teams in Europe.
“Anything is possible and I believe we still stand a chance to win the league. When we were in the CAF Champions League, we were in the same group as Al Ahly and Zamalek and we also played Esperance (semi-final).
“Nobody gave us a chance and we reached the final of the competition.
“That’s why I believe we still have a chance of winning the league,” said Erasmus, who scored in the Nedbank Cup thriller against Thanda Royal Zulu last weekend.
The Buccaneers take on struggling Free State Stars at Orlando Stadium tomorrow (8.15pm), looking to build on those narrow victories over Thanda and Sundowns.
Vermezovic, who has signed a three year contract, is in the country and will be in Orlando for the clash, but the Serbian won’t be on the bench as they try to sort out his work permit. - The Star