Durban - Malawi international Gabadinho Mhango is currently involved in the 2022 Hollywoodbets COSAFA Cup in Durban, a place he feels could set him up well for the new season.
Mhango made ten appearances in all competitions last season however that hasn't seemed to hamper his return at international level.
He enjoyed three goals in three matches at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in January and also has two goals in two matches of the AFCON 2023 qualifiers, a stat he attributes to his nation's belief in him.
"My country always has that trust in me, they know what I can do, they know I'll never let them down and they never doubt my abilities. They also instill a sense of responsibility on me in the team and urge me to help the youngsters that are coming through and I think that pushes me more." He revealed to IOL Sport.
The 29-year-old hadn't kicked a ball on South African soil since April when he made a 12 minute appearance off the bench for his former team Orlando Pirates before starting in Malawi's first match in the COSAFA Cup recently.
Mhango's new club AmaZulu are currently in the deep end of their pre-season preparations.
'Gaba' is amongst a host of new signings like Dumisani Zuma, George Maluleka however he believes success and game time with his national team will do his match fitness a world of good ahead of the new season.
"I haven't been playing for a while so for me it was important that I form part of this team and I think I can also use the game time going into my new team and I can just kick on from there as soon as I join them (for preseason)," he explained.
The Flames didn't get off to the best of starts in their opening game at COSAFA Cup, going down 2-1 at the hands of Lesotho but Mhango feels his can still qualify for the knockout stages.
"I'm here because I also want to help my country win. Yes we didn't get off to the best start but there's still two more games we have to play and we're playing well but we just have to turn those good performances into three points.
Malawi will battle free-scoring Eswatini on Friday afternoon at 2pm at the King Zwelithini Stadium.
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