Orlando Pirates legend Benedict Vilakazi throws support behind Yanela Mbuthuma despite goal drought - 'He can create chances'

Orlando Pirates legend Benedict Vilakazi has urged supporters to look beyond the scoresheet when evaluating Yanela Mbuthuma.

The forward has found himself at the centre of a social media storm following a frustrating 1-1 draw against AmaZulu.

Vilakazi believes the 24-year-old offers tactical value that can often go unnoticed by the average spectator.

The former Pirates star insists the striker’s movement remains crucial to maintaining the team’s attacking fluidity.

Speaking on iDiski TV, Vilakazi broke down the nuances of Mbuthuma's game that often escape the ire of the fans

"I’m not defending this boy, but there’s one or two things that he does well," said Vilakazi.

"He can create chances. I know everyone is frustrated that he’s not scoring. I get it. I also sometimes get frustrated, to say, but my boy, what else needs to be done to you?

"When you look at him, he makes good runs, and he takes those two centre-backs away from that central position to create space for the midfielders to come in."

The draw against Usuthu was particularly painful for the Sea Robbers as Mbuthuma squandered two high-value opportunities to secure the win.

Vilakazi was honest about the striker's technical errors in front of goal during the match.

"He does that very well," he added.

"But now here comes an opportunity for him to put the ball in; yes, in the first half I could understand because he beat the keeper, but the defender was there to cover."

The second-half miss was harder for Vilakazi to defend, as he highlighted a lack of composure in the box.

"That one, I can say it does happen, but second half I even said you can see the ball comes from your right side and the keeper is here; there’s no way you are going to play it there.

"I thought he was going to play it back to his left foot because he just needed a tap-in…"