Nasreddine Nabi, head coach of Kaizer Chiefs, has issued an update on the situation of midfielder Sibongiseni Mthethwa following reports of nearly leaving the club during the recent transfer window, while also giving a big hint on the player.
Amakhosi's 3-1 scalping of AmaZulu FC at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Wednesday marked the third occasion in which Nabi has excluded Mthethwa even from the match-day squad.
This includes the Toyota Cup clash against Young Africans.
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Unsurprisingly, reports surfaced during the transfer window that the Tunisian-Belgian did not have the player in his long-term plans at Naturena and that the club had reached out to several PSL outfits in a bid to sell the out-of-favour star.
Asked if there was any truth to the reports, Nabi provided a very vague response, only citing that Mthethwa remains a Chiefs player and would perhaps even start in the next match.
"Why do you ask me only about Mthethwa? There are so many other players. We are a group," said a poker-faced Nabi in the post-match press conference.
"Mthethwa is a good, quality player, he has particular qualities. I don't know, maybe after Wednesday he will start for the [Mamelodi] Sundowns game," said the Tunisian-Belgian gaffer.
"But I don't want to talk too much about [one player], I want to talk about all the players."
The defensive midfield man joined Amakhosi at the start of last season on a big-money move from Stellenbosch FC.
He has, however, failed to replicate the form that made him one of the most sought-after players in the league, with neutral fans in awe of his ability to boss the midfield and make it his territory.
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The Soweto giants are reported to have offered the hard man back to Stellies and also had talks with newly promoted Magesi, although a deal failed to materialize on both occasions.
Chiefs host Sundowns on Saturday at FNB Stadium.
Kick-off is at 15:00.