George Maluleka says he was touched by the words of Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Rulani Mokwena, who said it was difficult to see him go because he was a good human being.
Mokwena added that Maluleka was a player who never complained even though he hardly played in two seasons he spent at the club.
Maluleka was not playing as much he wanted to, as Mokwena, Manqoba Mngqithi and Steve Komphela often opted for Andile Jali and Rivaldo Coetzee in that deep lying number six.
That led to Maluleka only featuring in 18 matches before he departed at the end of last term, scoring once. However, he won two league titles, the MTN8 and the Nedbank Cup.
Maluleka has moved on from Sundowns, joining AmaZulu, where he’s started well, playing regularly under coach Brandon Truter.
“I spoke to coach Rulani [of why I wasn’t playing], and it is heart-warming when the coach speaks positively about you,” said Maluleka when asked by the iDiski Times about Mokwena’s words.
“It was encouraging as well. In fact, those words were encouraging to me because I was able to keep going, staying strong and having a positive attitude. So to hear those words, it was nice.”
Maluleka is set to face his former club Sundowns and meet Mokwena for the first time since he left them during the off season, at Loftus Stadium on Sunday at 15:00.
The 33-year-old looked to have found what he was looking for at Usuthu since he arrived, with coach Truter playing him alongside AmaZulu captain Makhehleni Makhaula and Keagan Buchanan in the midfield three.
The trio’s combo has borne fruit too, as Usuthu reached the MTN8 semi finals for the first time since the 2009/10 season. They will face Kaizer Chiefs next month, Maluleka’s former club, with both games set to be played at Moses Mabhida Stadium.
Maluleka said as a trio they have not reached the level they want to be.
“We are here on the task and the task like the president [Sandile Zungu] said, he wants this group of players to finish in the top four,” added Maluleka.
“I think this is a mandate that we were given to see our name in the top four. We have a team and we are capable of delivering that.”
Story by Robin-Duke Madlala (@duke_robin).
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