Orlando Pirates coach Micho Sredojevic says Musa Nyatama, who was voted the club’s best player last season when the Buccaneers finished runners-up to Mamelodi Sundowns in the Absa Premiership title race, is making a case for his return in the starting line-up.
The midfielder was a surprise casualty of the average start to the 2018-19 campaign as well as the arrival of new players at Pirates.
He was given just six minutes on Saturday afternoon in the Buccaneers’ narrow 2-1 win away to Baroka FC in Polokwane.
This was the first time since August 15 that Nyatama got game time having either been an unused sub or completely dropped subsequent to the 1-0 loss to Bidvest Wits on that particular date at Orlando Stadium.
“I must tell you that we chose our team based on merit,” Sredojevic said as he looked to explain Nyatama’s absence.
“Everyone is equal in our team. When you are not chosen it means you are pushing others that are playing – the season is long and everyone will have time to play. We are purely selecting not based on good names or sentiments of the past, but their present competitive form. Musa Nyatama has come from a spell of injuries and whatever. In this game (against Baroka) he has knocked on the door and told us ‘I am there and I want to increase the competitiveness in the department’. When we brought him on he showed seniority and maturity to slow things down help us calm the game a bit.”
Pirates have more than a week before their next league fixture, which is at home against Golden Arrows.