Durban - Following the sacking of Benni McCarthy last week, AmaZulu are currently without a full-time coach. Former Swallows coach Brandon Truter is currently in charge on an interim basis but the club has indicated that it hopes to finalise the appointment of a new full-time coach before the end of April.
Usuthu is an ambitious club with owner Sandile Zungu indicating that he would like to see it win the top-flight title by the time it celebrates its 100th birthday in 2032.
The next coach of the Durban-based club is likely to be hired with the long-term vision in mind.
IOL Sports' Eshlin Vedan looks at four plausible candidates to take over the Usuthu hotseat on a permanent basis.
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Gavin Hunt
Hunt is without work after being sacked by Chippa United earlier in the season. Given that he is the PSL’s second most successful coach after Pitso Mosimane, he will naturally be linked with a lot of coaching opportunities when they arise.
On paper, this job could be a good fit for Hunt, he achieved the greatest successes of his career with modest Bidvest Wits and SuperSport United.
AmaZulu are now in a similar position in terms of resources as compared to what Wits and SuperSport were in Hunt’s heyday with them.
Arthur Zwane
Zwane is a highly-rated young tactician and has been linked with the Kaizer Chiefs hotseat should Stuart Baxter depart in the near future. Getting Zwane to cut ties with Chiefs may be difficult but if the Amakhosi cannot give him assurances over the coaching position in the near-future, he should look to launch his career elsewhere.
The time is now right for Zwane to become a head coach.
AmaZulu could be a good place for the 48-year-old to cut his teeth and establish himself at the highest level of management. Usuthu could also hire him with long-term goals in mind.
Cavin Johnson
Johnson is a tactically savvy manager who is without work, after having last served as assistant coach to Mosimane at Al Ahly.
Johnson could bring in a wealth of experience to the Durban based club and is also very familiar with them, having previously coached Usuthu between 2017 and 2019.
While Johnson’s last stint with AmaZulu did not end on a good note, he could now potentially walk into a club which is far healthier in terms of resources as compared to when he left.
Muhsin Ertugral
This may seem like a long-shot but stranger things have happened. Ertugral is currently a free-agent and recently confirmed to IOL Sport that he is open to a new challenge from next season, though he is in no rush to get back into football management.
Ertugral is one of the most experienced coaches available in South Africa, having initially arrived in the country back in 1999 when he started his first stint with Kaizer Chiefs. His love and passion for South Africa and its football means that he could still contribute a lot to any club that is interested in his services.
Ertugral may have a less than desirable record of not staying at clubs for long, but there are few tacticians with his level of knowledge and with a deep understanding of South African football as thorough as him.