Kaizer Chiefs defender Happy Mashiane has opened up about the competition he has with teammate Bradley Cross for the left-back position at the club.
Cross joined Amakhosi at the start of the 2024/25 Betway Premiership from KwaZulu-Natal side Golden Arrows on a four-year deal.
So far, Cross, who is 23 years of age, has played nine matches across all competitions for the Soweto giants.
Meanwhile, Mashiane, who rose through the Amakhosi development ranks, made one appearance for the Nasreddine Nabi-coached side in this campaign. This was during the Chiefs’ 2-2 draw with the Carling Knockout Cup champions Magesi FC at the New Peter Mokaba in October.
HAPPY MASHIANE ON THE COMPETITION FOR LEFT-BACK POSITION WITH BRADLEY CROSS
Mashiane, 26, mentioned that his competition with Cross is a positive one, and he is patiently waiting for his time to come to display his God-given abilities.
“The competition is very healthy. As you can see, Cross has been well so far,” said Mashiane in an interview with FARPost.
“So, on my side, I’m also working hard and pushing for whenever the time comes, then I’m ready to deliver good performances.
“It doesn’t really matter who is playing, but the main goal is to bring positive results to the club moving forward.”
MASHIANE DRAWS INSPIRATION FROM LIVERPOOL’S TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD
Mashiane also revealed that he is inspired by Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool, who has thrived as a wing-back despite being an attacking player.
“Those are some of the things that we get to talk about as gents [drawing inspiration from international players] because I have been converted to the wing-back position,” he added.
“But at the end of the day, we are at work, and we need to get the job done despite the position you’re deployed.”
As things stand, Chiefs are placed seventh on the log standings with 11 points after seven games.
The club’s next league fixture will be against Polokwane City FC on Sunday, 8 December, at the New Peter Mokaba in Polokwane. The game will start at 15:30.
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