A loan move from Kaizer Chiefs to SuperSport United was meant to give the player an opportunity to get a proper taste of topflight football, but that has not been the case for Donay Jansen.
Not long after being promoted to the first team at Naturena, Jansen was given an opportunity to make a loan move this season to SuperSport, where Gavin Hunt usually gives young players a chance to prove themselves on the big stage.
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Since making the move to Matsatsantsa, Jansen has made three appearances, playing a total of 43 minutes of football. The last time he featured for Matsatsantsa was in January, as a final minute substitute against Polokwane City.
The 21-year-old is currently in the South Africa squad for the African Nations Championships (CHAN) first round qualifier against Egypt, with the second leg set to be played this weekend away from home.
SuperSport assistant coach Andre Arendse, who was at the Nedbank Cup press conference on Thursday, revealed what Jansen has been struggling at the club.
"When Donay first came to the club, I was very excited about what he can bring. We saw a very good wing player, from a midfield perspective. It's just that he has not been able to crack on. He needs a lot of work on his fitness levels. We've picked that up on the training,"
"The natural skill and ability is ridiculous when it comes to Donay Jansen. He's just got to find the perfect balance now when it comes to his fitness levels and how he integrates that with his ability to play the game. We are working on him everyday and he is responding to it. Hopefully his game time will come sooner or later."
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The season is heading towards the end, but Jansen still has a chance to fight his way into the team and build some confidence on the playing field before returning to Naturena, where it's likely to be even harder to get into the starting line-up.
SuperSport, meanwhile, will host Soweto giants Orlando Pirates in the Nedbank Cup quarter-finals at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
