It was supposed to be a gradual phasing in into the first team set-up but the script has changed, drastically for that matter.
Kaizer Chiefs central midfield starlet Mduduzi Shabalala could find himself being a regular in the Amakhosi’s DStv Premiership campaign after his sensational goal sealed their 3-0 victory over Maritzburg United midweek.
And Amakhosi should better find him a tutor as the youngster is still in matric. The short football spell he has embarked on must be backed by a solid education for the Soweto-born player.
Recruited on a three-year contract from the Chiefs’ Diski Challenge side, his reserves coach Vela Khumalo explained the club’s training programme predicament after his development team beat Stellenbosch 2-0 in the Diski Shield final to lift the trophy last month.
“Mduduzi we will keep him for now. He will go in and out in the first team. He will play the 15 minutes and come back, because he is still at school. The programme that he has is not the same as the one in the first team.
“The first team, at times, trains in the morning and we train in the afternoon. He is studying grade 12, so he will be in and out of the first team. About 90% of the players are in grade 12.”
Shabalala is a member of the under-20 national side and has also played for the national under-17 team.
