Since joining the Buccaneers last season, the 31-year-old has struggled to replicate the form which saw him previously being Bafana Bafana skipper
Former Orlando Pirates captain Lucky Lekgwathi says Thulani Hlatshwayo “hasn’t been himself” since he arrived at the Soweto giants and needs some players to look up to at the club.
Hlatshwayo was signed by Pirates from Bidvest Wits in September 2020 with a glowing profile as then Bafana Bafana captain.
But the centre-back struggled to recreate the form which saw him become a household name in South African football.
Criticism towards him has continued this season in which he has featured in all Pirates games across all competitions.
While Lekgwathi talks of Pirates’ senior players needing to guide the 31-year-old, the likes of captain Happy Jele, Wayne Sandilands, Siyabonga Mpontshane, Abel Mabaso could Ntsikelelo Nyauza could be regarded as experienced enough to lead Hlatshwayo.
“You know when you join a big team there are lots of things that you need to adapt to, it doesn’t matter whether you are a star or not,” said Lekgwathi as per Phakaaathi.
“Things are done differently at big clubs and you need to always be a step ahead. He hasn’t been himself since he joined Pirates and I think he needs to be guided well so that he can be the player that we all know.
“The senior players like Happy Jele have to guide him, they have to help me get back to his best because we haven’t seen him at his best since he got to Pirates.
“We know that he is one of the best defenders in the country, we saw it at Wits and even at Bafana Bafana.”
Hlatshwayo’s difficult patch of form has seen him losing the Bafana Bafana armband to SuperSport United goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.
At Bucs, Hlatshwayo is currently wearing the captain’s armband in the absence of Jele and Lekgwathi feels that responsibility comes with some huge pressure.
“But, now I think joining Pirates and being given the armband really put him under a lot of pressure,” added Lekgwathi.
“He is always trying very hard to make sure that he doesn’t make mistakes and wants to do everything to perfection, but it hasn’t worked out.
“He needs to share responsibilities and like I said, learn from the guys who have been at the team for many years. If he starts doing that I believe we will start seeing progress in his game.”
The arrival of central defenders Kwanda Mngonyama and Nigeria international Olisah Ndah has widened selection options at the heart of the defence.
Be the first to comment