Patrick 'Tito' Maswanganyi could still go back overseas to further his career, according to his former coach and mentor Farouk Khan.
When he returned from Portugal in 2022 and subsequently signed for SuperSport United, some might have thought that the European dream was over for Maswanganyi.
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Now 26 and coming from arguably his best season ever in professional football with Orlando Pirates where his inspiring performances earned him the DStv (since renamed Betway) Premiership Players' Player of the Season, Midfielder of the Season, as well as the Nedbank Cup Player of the Tournament awards, Maswanganyi is in the right direction for his European aspirations according to Khan.
"He still has a couple of years to go and I think when the team played some games during pre-season (in Spain) there must have been scouts looking at him. Sometimes, what you plan in life doesn't always come to fruition. I think he was a bit unfortunate, and I think had he stayed for another year in Europe, he would have been signed. But to be fair to him, he spent at least two years there and nothing happened. He missed home. Being away from home and the sacrifices he had to make must have impacted him, and human beings can be patient for so long, so he was a little unfortunate," said Khan, speaking exclusively to the Siya crew.
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"You must understand that in a country like Portugal they have players coming from all over the world. A number of players there come from Brazil because they speak the same language, and a lot of players launched their careers via Portugal. They are spoilt for choice in Portugal and that's why it is not always the best destination for a player to go there. Sometimes it's better to go to Sweden, or to go to Denmark or Belgium. Chances of playing there are greater than they would be in Portugal. But because Portugal is the country to showcase talent for Europe, I think sometimes you have to choose between going there and Belgium because that is where most players start before going to the big leagues in Europe," he said.
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