The reason why Ethiopia international Abubeker Nasir, on loan from Mamelodi Sundowns, is yet to play for University of Pretoria has been disclosed.
The 25-year-old will spend this season at AmaTuks playing Motsepe Foundation Championship after struggling to muscle his way into Masandawana coach Miguel Cardoso’s plans. The latest move is the third time he has been loaned out since joining Sundowns in 2022.
At first, he was loaned out to Ethiopian Coffee SC, the club he had been signed from by the Brazilians. After returning to Chloorkop, he spent two seasons struggling for game time before going to the now-defunct SuperSport United FC last season.
He has now resurfaced at AmaTuks, where he is trying to revive his career. Under the tutelage of Kwanele Kopo, the NFD outfit has endured a difficult start to the 2025/26 season. They are yet to taste victory or defeat in the six games they have played so far. That leaves AmaTuks 11th on the standings with six points from as many draws.
The presence of Nasir at the club could provide a window of hope in the University of Pretoria’s bid to return to the Betway Premiership. But the speedy forward is yet to make his official debut and here is why he has not played a single match.
WHY IS NASSIR NOT PLAYING AT AMATUKS?
FARPost has been told that Nasir is injured and working to get back to full fitness. The amount of time he will spend in rehab is yet to be disclosed.
Since arriving in South Africa, Nasir has endured an injury-plagued time, including the two full seasons he spent at Chloorkop after returning from a loan spell at Ethiopian Coffee.
Even his time at SuperSport was marked by fitness issues which followed him into the new season. When he gets fit, Nassir will be trying to convince Kopo that he is the man who can solve their goal-scoring problems, as AmaTuks have managed just five goals from six games this term.
He will also be out to send a message to Cardoso that he should be back to compete for game time at Masandawana next season.
Besides Nassir, Pretoria University are home to other Sundowns loanees like Siyanda Msani, Ntando Nkosi and Thando Buthelezi.
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