JOHANNESBURG — Belgium should be a suitable place for Zimbabwean international Knowledge Musona to make his European breakthrough, said the technical director of the striker’s previous club in Germany, TSV 1899 Hoffenheim’s Alexander Rosen.
The former Kaizer Chiefs striker, pacey and deadly in the Absa Premier Soccer League, got little game time and could not score in two seasons in the Bundesliga with Hoffenheim and on loan to FC Augsburg.
He was loaned back to Amakhosi last season.
Musona scored 11 goals in 26 league and cup games despite injuries. But he has spent six months without action after opting to try to pursue his career in Europe and having not fitted into Hoffenheim’s plans. Last month, the Zimbabwean signed for Andile Jali’s club in Belgium, KV Oostende.
Rosen said Hoffenheim could not find a place for Musona because they have too many good strikers.
“When myself and coach Markus Gisdol took over in April 2013, Knowledge wasn’t at our club having been loaned to Augsburg,” Rosen said.
“We had a big squad, so we decided in a good communication with (Chiefs football manager) Bobby Motaung to send him on loan for a year, because he had not made it at Augsburg.
“We followed him very closely at Chiefs and he produced a good performance. We intently discussed bringing him back to our team, but we have really quality players in his position.
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“I can’t tell you anything on the reason he didn’t make it in Germany. But he always had the wish to stay in Europe. And when the chance to go to Belgium came up he decided to make the step to that level.”
Hoffenheim are on a 10-day training camp in South Africa, which includes their friendly against Chiefs at FNB Stadium tonight at 7:30pm.
Meanwhile, Northampton have terminated the contract of Zimbabwean David Moyo after the striker fell down the pecking order at the League Two side.
Coach Chris Wilder admitted he didn’t see the 19-year-old striker featuring in his first team plans after Moyo’s Sixfields contract was ripped up earlier this week.
Moyo has made only five appearances for the Cobblers this season, scoring in his last two back in October, but his deal has been cancelled and he has since signed for Conference North neighbours Brackley Town where he spent time on loan.
Wilder said the move could help the teenager, who represented his country at Under-23 level, kick-start his career and believes it was in the youngster’s best interests to move on and have the opportunity of regular football.
“I was always going to bring the numbers down and I didn’t think David would get a run in the side,” said Wilder.
“Sometimes you have to make a decision, I did and David goes to Brackley with our best wishes as he’s a good lad.
“I looked at it, I’ve got Emile (Sinclair), I’ve got John-Joe (O’Toole) who has been playing, Ivan (Toney) to come back in and Marc Richards, I think sometimes you’ve got to make decisions for the players as well.
“There’s going to be a ridiculous amount of players at the end of the season who’ll be without football clubs and David does really need to play football.
“If he does well that’s great and he kick-starts his career but for him to just be hanging around the place, be a sub or not in the squad, I don’t think that’s right for David and for us and we move on.”
It has been a busy first half of the January transfer window with Moyo one of eight players to depart Sixfields in the past two weeks.
Wilder said he expects to have completed his transfer dealings for the month, but revealed that he is always on the look-out if anyone becomes available who can improve the squad.
“I think sometimes it comes to a point where you’ve got to have a settled group of players, but you’ve always got to try and look if something comes up that you think can make you better,” he said.
“I don’t think I’d be doing my job to just say that’s us done and think we’re the finished article because we’re not. There is still a lot of work to be done.”
— Agencies
