As he grows to become a regular for Mamelodi Sundowns, midfielder Sphelele Mkhulise has revealed how former teammate and striker Percy Tau inspired him.
Mkhulise believes that going out on loan to the National First Division (NFD) has helped him to regain his confidence and hunger, saying coach Pitso Mosimane is like a father to him.
With Tau having also gone out on loan to Witbank Spurs a few seasons ago, the 23-year-old has explained that his ambition is to follow in the Bafana Bafana international and Club Brugge striker’s footsteps.
“I think going out on loan helped me a lot as it made me grow as a player and as a person, even Percy Tau was sent away on loan and came back as a better player and became a regular in the first team and right now he’s one of the best players in the country,” said Mkhulise as quoted by FarPost.
“So going away on loan really worked well for me and obviously working really hard and yeah I would like to follow in the footsteps of Percy Tau.”
Speaking about ‘Jingles’, the talented midfielder has praised the reigning Premier Soccer League (PSL) Coach of the Season for his leadership and guidance.
“Pitso Mosimane is like a father to us because he teaches us everything about football and life in general, he even gives us financial advice amongst other things.”
Having launched his career at Chloorkop in the MultiChoice Diski Challenge (MDC), Mkhulise graduated to the first team but was loaned out to Black Leopards in the 2016/17 season.
In addition, he also had a stint at Richards Bay in the following campaign and both loan deals have brought the best out of the youngster.
Upon his return prior to the 2018/19 season, Mkhulise made just four appearances in the league for the senior side whilst making one in the Caf Champions League, Nedbank Cup, and MTN8.
However, he has delivered impressive displays this term where he has played in the Champions League, contributing to their Telkom Knockout glory and is one of the key figures in their quest to defend their PSL trophy.
Mkhulise has 16 appearances across all competitions so far and has produced three assists and a single goal.