Bidvest Wits coach Gavin Hunt has confirmed the departure of Egyptian striker Amr Gamal as he joined a club in Finland.
Hunt told the media in Johannesburg on Monday as he bagged the Premier Soccer League Coach of the Month Award for the month of February.
The Clever Boys manager said the Pharaohs international is a good player and praised his mentality, but he could not adjust on time in the PSL.
Gamal joined the Braamfontein-based side last summer on a one-year loan deal from Al Ahly, he had a bright start with the reigning league champions, helping them to lift the Telkom Knockout Cup.
The Red Devils youth product managed to feature in 13 league games for the Clever Boys, scoring two goals and recording a single assist.
However, the 26-year-old failed to make his mark in the second round the league which started after the Christmas break.
Following his lack of game time, news reports emanated that he was on his way out of the club to join Finnish giants HJK Helsinki.
“Gamal is gone to Finland. It didn’t work out, it is football,” Hunt told the media on Monday.
“Yeah, it’s disappointing because I really thought he will do well for us and it didn’t work out because of various football reasons,”’ he responded.
“The mentality was okay, I just felt that there are certain things that the game requires in different countries and obviously it’s unfortunate that he got on the end and missed a lot of chances, but that happens in football,” he continued.
Moreover, the four time league winner explained Gamal experienced difficulties in the country because he has never been out of his country, saying that foreign players usually take a bit of time to adapt, understand the language and football in a foreign country like South Africa.
“He was a good player; I thought he would settle in much quicker and it didn’t happen. But you can see anywhere, foreign players do take time to settle,” he concluded.
