Thulani Hlatshwayo has addressed his exit from Orlando Pirates for the first time, confirming he asked the club to be released.
Hlatshwayo, 32, signed a one-year deal with an option to extend it by another year with SuperSport United this week, reuniting with former coach Gavin Hunt.
He now explained that he felt he deserved more chances at Pirates but wasn’t in the coaches’ plans after his costly mistake in the Soweto Derby last season, hence he needed to leave the Buccaneers.
“I decided I didn’t have a future there,” he told Thabiso Mosia on SAFMSportOn.
“For me it was about the game time because I don’t get any younger. It was for me to carry on playing and to be on the field to be effective.”
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Hlatshawayo opened up on his struggles at the Sea Robbers, insisting he didn’t get a chance to redeem himself at the club.
“There was a lot of expectations, but things didn’t work out the way we wanted,” he explained.
“When you look at my last game, my last game was against Chiefs and I made that mistake. I felt that everything changed.
“I wouldn’t say that it didn’t work out but I needed to rectify my mistake, I needed to prove myself again. It’s been really hard.
“I feel like I deserved another chance. I feel like the coaches could’ve shown faith in me because I’ve been playing towards that Soweto Derby.”
However, despite his struggles the former Bafana Bafana captain insisted that he doesn’t regret his move to the Buccaneers.
“It’s a lesson learnt. I take that experience and am moving forward, but I don’t regret going to Pirates because I made the decision,” he added.
