Mamelodi Sundowns have a big call to make on the future of Ethiopian star Abubeker Nasir, who has been struggling with an injury for over a year now. The 24-year-old, who had also attracted interest from Kaizer Chiefs before signing on the dotted line at Chloorkop, has been in and out of the team over the last few months, struggling to fully heal from an injury he sustained in a clash against Orlando Pirates back in 2022. Soccer Laduma investigates the curious situation of a player who has been denied the opportunity to fully show what he can deliver playing in one of the biggest leagues in the continent.
What the Siya crew has been told…
Mamelodi Sundowns attacker Abubeker Nasir is facing a difficult few months ahead, with the possibility of leaving the club due to an injury that is not only affecting his progress with the Tshwane giants, but his entire career.
Soccer Laduma has been reliably informed that the Brazilians hierarchy are determined to help the player as much as possible through this period of recovering from a career-threatening injury, just as they did with Rivaldo Coetzee, Erwin Saavedra and Lebohang Maboe, who were all out with long-term injuries before making a return. According to information received by this publication, Saavedra remains a Downs player. He has recovered from injury and has been given time to get his career back on track at Bolivian side Bolivar.
As for Nasir, he is struggling to make a return and there is concern on whether or not he will be able to fully recover from this injury which has seen him getting in and out of the team since he sustained it in a clash against Orlando Pirates back in 2022. The Ethiopian international collided with goalkeeper Siyabonga Mpontshane in what can be described as a nasty collision in trying to challenge for the ball, and has not been able to fully recover since. He is only in the second season of a five-year contract he signed with the six-time consecutive league champions. It's believed he signed a three-year deal, with an option to extend it for two years.
As things stand, the Siya crew understands that Nasir is not registered as one of the foreigners in the team, which is why Sundowns were able to bring in Argentinean attacker Matias Esquivel during the recent January transfer window. This leaves the future of Nasir in serious doubt, with an exit not being ruled out at this stage, though the Tshwane giants will not rush into making any decisions on a player they believe can make an impact if the situation changes.
The club is expected to remain patient with the player and wait for the coming months to see how much progress he will make, but it's guaranteed that he will not feature again this season, which is a big blow for the player who turned 24 last Friday, having made such a promising start to life with the club last term.
Indications are that Sundowns are looking at the fact that age is still on his side, which could be considered as an advantage for Nasir in his quest to stay on at Chloorkop and prove his worth once he is through his injury troubles.
The Siya crew understands the inaugural African Football League champions have given the attacker an opportunity to spend time with family as well, with the club understanding the importance of having loved ones around him during what must be a difficult period in his career.
What are the facts?
In his first season with the Tshwane giants last season, Nasir made 14 appearances in all competitions. Since sustaining his injury in December 2022, the Ethiopian has not been able to play more than six matches in a row for the club. In April 2023, he played six matches in a row, in the DStv Premiership and CAF Champions League. The injury he has not been able to fully recover from has not allowed him to be a consistent feature in the side. This campaign, he has made just three appearances in all competitions, all during the first half of the season.
He may not be registered by the Tshwane side for the second half of the season, but the club is expected to honour the contract they have with him, until a final decision is made. This is not the first time Sundowns are dealing with deregistering a foreign player who is injured. Previously, they did not register Brazilian defender Ricardo Nascimento for the first half of the 2017/18 campaign, but he returned for the second half of that season. While it appears the injury of Nasir is a bit more serious and perhaps complex than that of Nascimento, Downs are determined to work closely with the Ethiopian star to find a solution to the problem. The medical team is keeping a close eye on Nasir and the club is expected to give an update on the player's situation in the near future.
The Chloorkop-based outfit won the race to sign Nasir on a five-year (three plus two) deal after Kaizer Chiefs had shown an interest in the player.
The story behind the scenes
Rhulani values Nasir
According to information received by the Siya crew, one of the biggest reasons Sundowns believe that there could be a turnaround in the situation is that Rhulani Mokwena continues to believe in the quality of Nasir. Whenever he has been available for action, the head coach has included the player in his line-ups and indications are that Mokwena has kept in touch with management over the situation of the player. The hierarchy is aware of the fact that Nasir remains an important figure to the young tactician's plans and will be in communication with the coach regularly until a final decision is made on the future of the star. Like Saavedra, Mokwena is understood to believe that Nasir's situation can change with time.
Sundowns providing proper support
It's been revealed to Soccer Laduma that the last year-and-a-half has been difficult for Nasir, even on an emotional level, due to the fact that he has not had an opportunity to prove himself at the side. There are fears over this career-threatening injury, but indications from sources are that Sundowns have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that they not only support him on the physical level, but on an emotional level too as they believe the mental state of their players is important.
Is his place in danger?
What's challenging for the Ethiopian during this period is that the Brazilians are always looking for quality to add to their squad. The longer he is out of the team, the slimmer his chances of featuring regularly when he comes back to the training ground. The ambitious club is always in the market for new talent, especially outside of the country, and their foreign spots are always a bit of a situation when they have to look at who to put down and who to leave out. At times, they've had to loan out players and in recent years have been able to register Peter Shalulile and Divine Lunga as locals, giving them some freedom to register the South American stars they have brought into the team. Should he make a return, Nasir will be well aware of the fact that chances of playing regularly are slim because the Tshwane outfit will definitely be adding more talent to the squad in the coming months. The likes of Khanyisa Mayo and Shandre Campbell, to mention but two, are linked to the side, which is a clear indication that Downs will always be looking to add to the impressive quality that is already in their squad.
Secret Agent
The Siya crew spoke to a top agent in SA to get their expert opinion on Nasir's situation at Sundowns. For obvious reasons, the agent will remain anonymous.
"I obviously don't know all the details of Nasir's injury, but it's a difficult situation when you have a player who has an injury that keeps him out for a long time. This is where Sundowns would need to decide what they do, but they have shown in the past that they look after players who are injured, like they have done with Rivaldo Coetzee. But Sundowns is a professional club and they will definitely honour the contract they have with the player and not rush him. Nasir showed a lot of potential when he joined the club and it looked as though he would do well for the club, so I am sure they will give him some time to see if the injury can be sorted out. We just need to see what happens in the coming weeks or months because we would have to wait for Sundowns to say what the latest is on the player."
Watch This Space
Head coach Rhulani Mokwena recently told media that Sundowns will make an announcement on the current situation of the Ethiopian international, sounding as though the player's situation is not a good one. Should the injury go on for too long, the club could be forced to let the player go. This would be a pity as he holds so much promise, especially as the Tshwane outfit navigates different competitions. But in the meantime, he is receiving all the support he can get and Masandawana faithful will be crossing their fingers that the story has a positive ending.
