Online Reporter
Lovemore Dube, [email protected]
HIGHLANDERS legend Gift Lunga Jnr has thrown his weight behind gifted midfielder Mongameli Tshuma, backing the talented playmaker to rediscover the form that made him one of the most exciting prospects in local football.
Tshuma has endured a difficult spell in recent weeks, struggling to reproduce the performances that quickly endeared him to the Bosso faithful. Frustration among sections of the Highlanders support spilled over during the club’s 2-1 victory over Bulawayo Chiefs at Barbourfields Stadium on Sunday, when some fans booed the midfielder during the second half.
Lunga, who enjoyed a glittering career at Highlanders that yielded four successive league titles and the Zimbabwe
Football Association Cup, believes supporters are yet to witness the very best of the slender midfield maestro.
“I have looked at the boy, his first touch, vision, trickery and body swerve, its brilliant stuff. He is a very good player who will have a say in the team’s fortunes going forward. He is a great talent,” said Lunga.
The former Highlanders star, who excelled as a striker, midfielder and wing-back during his playing days, said
Tshuma’s rapid rise has brought immense pressure and expectations that supporters need to appreciate.
“He was a nobody a few months ago and suddenly he has impressed and been called up to the national team. It is a
lot for the boy who only last year was playing Division One football in Hwange. I back him to bounce back to his best form soon,” said Lunga.
Lunga called on the Bosso faithful to continue supporting both the player and the team during what he described as a difficult phase.
“He needs support while he is going through this phase. Footballers go through this at some stage of their careers and fans play a very big role in helping a player pick himself up. What he needs now is support as he works on rediscovering his form.
“He is a key member of the team and he can be counted on to deliver. He has what fans want, he has what a team needs, he can turn around the game in a flash with his intelligent touches and moves. He subtracts numbers for the teams, sets up fans and delights fans, he is among the reason why fans throng Barbourfields Stadium. That brilliance is what they pay for and when on song he has a few peers in the game in Zimbabwe,” said Lunga.
The former Zimbabwe international also dismissed suggestions that the praise Tshuma has received and his national team call-ups may have contributed to his dip in form.
“The media’s job is to highlight brilliant talents. If he is playing well they will call him up to national teams and he will receive rave reviews. He is going through a phase in which he needs rejuvenation and I have heard the coaches are giving him support just as his teammates are doing. Mongameli is special to Zimbabwe football and we need to support him when he is a bit down. One good game will change everything for the fans and the boy,” said Lunga.
Tshuma is expected to start in tomorrow’s clash against Dynamos, forming part of a midfield unit that is likely to include defensive anchors Rainsome Pavari and Darlington Mukuli.
All roads lead to Bulawayo for the region’s biggest football fixture of the year, a contest that promises its usual blend of passion, intensity and drama. For Tshuma, it could also provide the perfect stage to silence his critics and remind supporters why he remains one of the brightest young talents in Zimbabwean football.
