Cape Town City FC coach Muhsin Ertugral has expressed his fear about Thulani Serero following the ex-Bafana Bafana star’s return to the Betway Premiership.
The talented midfielder joined Cape Town City during the January transfer window as a free agent after spending over a decade overseas. During his successful career abroad, Serero played for teams such as Ajax Amsterdam, Vittese, Al Jazira and Khorfakkan.
Before moving away from the PSL, Serero made a name for himself in the colours of Ajax Cape Town with his impressive passing game and skills. The 34-year-old left South Africa for a big move to Ajax Amsterdam, having won the Footballer of the Season award in 2011.
After 14 years overseas, Serero is bringing his vast experience to the Citizens, who have a youthful squad that could benefit from the presence of the former Bafana Bafana international.
‘Cream’, as he’s affectionately known, made his debut for City against TS Galaxy in the league last week. Serero had his first start for CT City when they played to a goalless against Kaizer Chiefs on Wednesday night.
MUHSIN ERTUGRAL FEARS INJURIES FOR SERERO
City coach Muhsin Ertugral has admitted that he fears that Serero is still not ready and he could get injured due to the high intensity of the Premiership.
“I gave Serero the 45 minutes against Kaizer Chiefs to really get the intensity right. So I told him he’ll play probably until half-time. The idea was to actually bring him on in the last minutes of the game; maybe that’s something I can fault myself on,” Ertugral said.
“These are elements I should have looked at as the coach; if he came on as a second-half substitute, he would have probably found more outlets because he can hold on to the ball, and he knows how to attack the lines, which is very important for us.
“We started him against Chiefs, but he’s still not ready, and I really fear that he could get injured because the intensity is too high. On Sunday, we have another game, and we need him to help us with that element of holding onto the ball more.”
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