Former Cape Town City FC captain Thami Mkhize, who played alongside newly signed Kaizer Chiefs striker Khanyisa Mayo for three seasons, has identified the ideal position coach Nasreddine Nabi can deploy him in.
Mayo had an impressive stint at the Citizens, scoring 29 goals and providing six assists in 93 outings.
Following his departure to join Algeria’s CR Belouizdad last season, CT City struggled and were relegated after failing to win the PSL Promotional/Relegation Playoffs.
They have since started their campaign in the Motsepe Foundation Championship. Mayo, on the other hand, scored six goals and provided one assist in 41 games in his maiden season with the Algerian giants.
However, former TS Galaxy coach Sead Ramovic, now at the helm of Belouizdad, indicated the 27-year-old forward was not in his plans. Chiefs, who were close to signing him a year ago, secured him on a season-long loan with an obligation to buy.
MKHIZE ON WHERE KHANYISA MAYO WOULD FLOURISH FOR CHIEFS
With his versatility and the numerous options available to Amakhosi, Nabi will have a challenge determining the ideal position for Mayo. Most of Mayo’s goals have come when he played as a centre-forward, although he has also scored from the right wing.
Interestingly, in the centre-forward position, Nabi has a variety of options, including Flavio Silva, Etiosa Ighodaro, Wandile Duba, Ashley Du Preez, Naledi Hlongwane, and Tashreeq Morris. On the right wing, the Tunisian coach often deploys Glody Lillepo, with Mfundo Vilakazi often coming in from the bench.
Mkhize, who recently left City, has identified where he feels his former teammate will flourish in Nabi’s team.
“I like him there upfront, and I’m happy for him since he’s joining Chiefs,” Mkhize told FARPost. “He will score goals for them. He’s a humble boy who works hard. If you’re a good human being, you will succeed because you respect people and respect your craft.”
The veteran right back went on to describe the striker’s qualities. “He can hold the ball for the team to join. He creates discomfort between centre-backs, where he possesses a real goal-scoring threat. You’re not comfortable as defenders [with him in between], and any ball behind he can pounce,” Mkhize explained.
MAYO HAS ‘A QUALITY LEFT FOOT’
He highlighted his advantage when playing on the right wing as a left-footed attacker. “He also played on the right side, which gives him an advantage and allows him to cut inside. As a fullback, I would join him [when he played right wing]; he’s got a quality left foot. I felt like he did well when he played there upfront [in the middle], he was scoring.”
Mkhize added that Mayo, whose father, Patrick Mayo, played for Amakhosi, will also convert free-kicks. “It’s something I used to watch at training. He and Mpho [Makola], and [Thabo] Nodada had the ability to score free-kicks. Khanyisa also had the quality to deliver crosses when playing on the wing.”
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