JOHANNESBURG – George Lebese is confident he made the right decision by joining SuperSport United during the mid-season transfer window following a torrid period with Mamelodi Sundowns.
Lebese made his SuperSport debut during their 3-2 win over Golden Arrows two weeks ago in the Absa Premiership.
His move to Matsantsantsa A Pitori is set to revamp his career after he’d struggled to make the cut at Sundowns since joining two seasons ago. The Brazilians’ coach Pitso Mosimane completely overlooked Lebese as he bemoaned his weight gain and inability to fit to their style.
On the other hand, SuperSport coach Keitano Tembo seems to be an admirer of Lebese, especially proving that he can be a match-winner from his initial stay with Kaizer Chiefs.
And, Lebese is banking on making his stint with the club count.
“It’s been great being here and I am enjoying every session,” Lebese said yesterday. “I am happy to be playing. I know most of the players in the team, so it wasn’t difficult to adjust. I just had to adjust to what the coach wants me to do for the team. But so far, it’s been good.”
Lebese might be on loan at SuperSport for the next three months but there’s already been a lot of rumours around his future. Among those speculations, he’s also linked with a return to Chiefs as his former teammates are still keen on having him back at the club.
That is still far-fetched though considering that Ernst Middendorp is still reconstructing the team after a poor run of form earlier this season. However, the 30-year-old midfielder is more focused on the job at hand.
George Lebese in the colours of Mamelodi Sundowns in July 2018. Photo: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix
“I don’t want to put pressure on myself but I want to contribute to the team,” he said. “I didn’t see the move happening because it happened on the last day of the transfer window.
“It was a bit stressful but I am glad that it happened because I joined such a great club.”
Lebese’s real test of character will be determined by their clash tomorrow as they welcome Orlando Pirates to Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium for the second encounter of the season - having lost the first game by 3-1 at Orlando Stadium.
The Sea Robbers will be hoping to continue with their title aspirations as they are currently third on the log, trailing leaders Bidvest Wits by four points, and with 11 matches to go.
SuperSport on the other hand, are still looking to reconstruct their season, especially after the relegation quagmire from the previous campaign. The Mamelodi-born footballer says they should make sure that produce a defensively sound unit as the Bucs have a potent attacking department.
“The preparations have been going very well, we have ideas of how they want to attack,” Lebese said. “They’ve been lethal this season, scoring goals. So, we have to try and stop that, while on the other side we'll try to get goals and win.
They have a good squad that can rotate any day, but they still manage to get the results.”
@Mihlalibaleka
The Star