AmaZulu FC head coach Romain Folz has had his say on the performances of Hendrick Ekstein and Thabo Qalinge, who were given a second bite at the cherry in the colours of Usuthu this past weekend.
The duo was thrown in during the DStv Premiership match against Royal AM, where Usuthu were downed 2-0 by Thwihli Thwahla.
Ekstein started the match while Qalinge was introduced in the second half.
Folz recently recalled them to the first team as they were training with the reserve team since the beginning of the season.
This was after the previous coach Brandon Truter had excluded the attacking duo from his plans for the season.
The 32-year-old mentor was pleased with Ekstein’s efforts while he said it would take some time for Qalinge to get back to his old self.
ROMAIN FOLZ ON THE RETURN EKSTEIN AND QALINGE
“I think Ekstein did well, for me he was probably our best player on the field today,” he told the media after the match.
“He was very dynamic, he was very good on the ball technically.
“I think Qalinge lacked a little bit of pace, it’s been a long time for him not playing at that level.
“For an offensive player like that, I think dynamism and to get the pace back physically, it’s gonna take maybe a couple of games.
“But also technically, he was not at the level I expected him to be.”
Folz has overseen eight fixtures at Usuthu, during which he won only one, lost two, and drawn five.
In spite of that, he’s still confident that he will turn things around.
‘WE’LL BE BACK VERY SOON’
“So again, we’re in the process of doing something,” he added.
“We’re not happy with the results but we’ll be back very soon.
“We have an important game coming on Friday, we’ll make sure to be there for that.”
In their next league match, AmaZulu are set to host Kaizer Chiefs on Friday at the Moses Mabhida at 19:30.
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