Abdeslam Ouaddou breaks silence on strained Maswanganyi relationship

Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has opened up about his strained relationship with outgoing playmaker and fan favourite Patrick Maswanganyi.

The 28-year-old attacking midfielder is set for a new chapter in Bahrain, where he will turn out for two-time champions Al-Khaldiya Sports Club, ending a three-year association with the Buccaneers.

He swiftly established himself as a crowd favourite at Pirates, but saw his role in the team diminish following the arrival of Ouaddou, who has since lifted the lid on the difficult relationship he had with the player.

“I have a huge respect for this player, for what he gave for the club, the titles that he won. I think he's a fantastic and gifted player that everyone wants to have in his team,” said the Pirates boss.

"I think we had a difficult moment last season because I think he took a little bit of time to understand what I was expecting from him about his involvement in the game, about his involvement in training.

"I always say the job doesn't start during the game, if you prepare the game it starts at the beginning of the week in training. The trainings are very important and I was not happy about the way he was training.

"And I am happy that he came with a fantastic behaviour on the 24th of June. He was fresh in every training session and I think you guys have seen his potential at the beginning of the season.

"Of course, he's somebody that is very important, and I think if he listened to me last season he would gone to the World Cup, definitely.

While the pair didn't have a smooth relationship, the 47-year-old tactician extended a word of advice to Maswanganyi, urging the Bafana international to be mentally prepared to handle the pressure in the Middle East.

“Now I just want to wish him really all the best for his new project, he's going abroad. It's not easy, he will have to be strong mentally, especially in that area because I played close to that country,” Ouaddou added.

"Even though there's no such supporters like us here in South Africa, maybe the stadiums are empty there, I hope he will find joy there, but even if there's no supporters there's huge pressure by the owners of the clubs.

"They ask a lot from the players, especially the professional players, because they have local players and all the time they have maybe five players maximum and there is a huge pressure on the players there.

"So, all the best for him, but of course, it's somebody I was very happy to work with, especially this season, he was really somebody who was important for us in the middle.

‘Tito’, as the player is affectionately known, made a total of 120 appearances in the famous black and white jersey of Pirates across all competitions, chipping in with 28 goals and 21 assists in the process.

Hlayisani Magoro

Editorfr, en

Football journalist from South Africa covering African football news, exclusive stories and key events while sharing insights with passionate fans of the game.

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