Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef slammed for playing Kaizer Chiefs star out of position 'you can’t get the best out of him on the wing' as best position is suggested for AFCON winner

Kaizer Chiefs co-coaches Cedric Kaze and Khalil Ben Youssef have been asked to play Mfundo Vilakazi as a number 10 and not a winger.

Former Chiefs winger Joseph Molangoane believes the U20 Africa Cup of Nations champion is best suited to play centrally. In most cases, the 19-year-old has been deployed along the wing, a position that pundits believe is not suited for the teenager.

Despite competition from the likes of Pule Mmodi, Glody Lilepo, Wandile Duba, Gaston Sirino, and Mduduzi Shabalala, Vilakazi has managed to earn regular starting slots in the Chiefs setup.

“Mfundo is not a winger; he is a number 10. You can’t get the best out of him on the wing. It is the reason why he always comes inside. He should not play on the side. He suits the number 10 role," Molangoane told FARPost.

Molangoane, a former Chiefs, Platinum Stars, and Chippa United winger, further explained his connection with Vilakazi since he spotted him before he came to the public limelight.

“I discovered that boy before most people saw him. I gave him boots at the Philly’s Games. I went up to him and said, "Mfanam’ bamba nang’ ama boots [son, here are soccer boots, take them]," he added.

“I can’t remember which year. Things happened fast for him. I remember after the Philly’s Games he joined the Chiefs reserve team.

“Football is luck; even if you are talented, you need luck. Most of the very best talents don’t make it because they believe they know football,” Molangoane added.

Previously, former Chiefs star Junior Khanye made the same arguments as Molangoane's, stating that Vilakazi should not be played as a winger.

“I don't think that boy is a winger, and people need to understand that Mfundo can't carry Chiefs now," Khanye said then.

"The U20 team is a different environment. All I’m saying is that the coach is playing Mfundo in the wrong position; he should be number 10. Mdu [Shabalala] should be on the wing, probably, or even [Wandile] Duba or even [Glody] Lilepo," he added.

Khanye also said it is too early to put pressure on Vilakazi now, as he is not yet in a position to carry the Soweto giants.

“Yes, he can’t; Chiefs is a big team. Yes, he’s got the talent, and I always say he can’t carry Chiefs now, not now," Khanye stated.

"Mfundo Vilakazi, the boy, knows football, but I believe he's being played out of position.

"But for now, they can't rely on him; it shouldn't be the case. Yes, the boy is one of the best talents produced in South Africa, but I guess his talent was not nurtured properly," he added.

"I don't think he was developed in the right way, and worse, he's being played out of position; that's why in the first half of the Orbit College match, he was nowhere to be seen."

Last season, Vilakazi won the Nedbank Cup with Amakhosi even though their season was not the best. They finished out of the top eight bracket but qualified for the CAF Confederation Cup.

They already made history by qualifying for the group stage, even though their campaign has not been impressive after two games. A defeat against Al Masry and a draw against Zamalek SC mark their campaign so far.

"I think I need to focus and work hard, and then everything else will come. Playing in CAF will help my game a lot because there is a lot of experience there, so I will also grow," the South African star said in an earlier interview.