A reunion between Gavin Hunt and Phakamani Mahlambi could be on the cards, as the player is currently being assessed by Betway Premiership newcomers Durban City FC.
The 27-year-old player is eager to revitalise his stalled career after a prolonged period without a club. It’s been a long road back for Mahlambi, who last played a top-flight match in September 2021 in the Chippa United shirt.
His season was cut short after he sustained an Achilles tendon injury while making a second-half appearance in a 2-1 defeat to Stellenbosch FC.
Mahlambi made his professional debut for Bidvest Wits under coach Gavin Hunt in the 2015/16 season, playing in a 2–1 win over the now-defunct Ajax Cape Town.
In 2017, he made the move to the Egyptian giants, Al Ahly, but was back in South Africa after just one season, where he signed for Mamelodi Sundowns.
His career path later led to a loan spell at Chippa United in 2021, bringing him back together with his former coach, Hunt. They almost linked up a third time when the lad from Louwsburg in KwaZulu-Natal trialled at SuperSport United but never signed on the dotted line.
Hunt has stated he has only provided Mahlambi with an opportunity at Durban City, but the responsibility to resurrect his career lies with the player.
HUNT ON MAHLAMBI – ‘I CAN ONLY GIVE HIM PLATFORM’
“I can’t revive him, he’s got to revive himself, I can only give him the platform,” said Hunt in the press conference after a 1-0 win over Chippa United at Chatsworth Stadium on Wednesday.
“He’s like any football player, I give the platform, the opportunity, but he’s young. I mean, he was the brightest talent in South Africa, wasn’t he?
“And then he had that move to Al Ahly, back to [South Africa] at Sundowns, he came to Chippa with me, he [suffered] an Achilles injury. He’s had comebacks [before].”
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