Following his impressive debut goal in the Carling Cup final, Orlando
Pirates striker Sifiso Luthuli has received a strong endorsement from a
former coach, who believes the 25-year-old is ready to deliver at the
highest level.
Luthuli announced himself to the Buccaneers faithful last weekend, breaking
the deadlock with a clever lob over goalkeeper Naphtali Mokoena in a 2-0 win
over All Stars XI. This performance prompted head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou to
declare the club need not seek a new striker in the January transfer window.
His former coach at Pretoria Callies, Bushy Moloi, with whom Luthuli had a
loan spell, praised the player’s versatility. “He’s a flexible player that
can play as an attacking midfielder and also as a striker, as a target-man,
with the dimension of being able to dribble,” Moloi told the Siya crew.
Addressing why it took Luthuli—who also impressed in the DStv Diski
Challenge from 2019/20—so long to break into the first team, Moloi pointed
to the depth of quality at Pirates. “There’s a big problem when you’re from
a bigger team. By that time Pirates had similar types of players like
Evidence Makgopa and all the quality strikers. But I believe he’s one of the
best strikers I’ve worked with,” he said.
Moloi acknowledged the intense pressure at top clubs can limit patience with
developing talent. “Coaches tend not to have patience because they are
always under pressure. So they need ready players,” he stated, adding that
while Luthuli would be a “100 percent” starter at many other PSL clubs, the
dynamic is different at Pirates.
However, he expressed firm belief in Luthuli’s ability, concluding: “If
Pirates want to give him an opportunity, I believe he can do better than
those who are there currently.”
Luthuli’s journey to the first team included time at Pirates’ feeder side
Pele Pele in the ABC Motsepe League before his promotion at the start of
this season.
