Cavin Johnson weighing up veteran striker Siyabonga Nomvethe's future at AmaZulu
AmaZulu coach Cavin Johnson is weighing up veteran striker Siyabonga Nomvethe's future and will decide in the coming weeks whether to include the former Bafana Bafana in his plans for the coming season or not.
Nomvethe‚ who turns 41 years in December and was the oldest player in the PSL last season‚ is part of the club’s training camp in Durban and Johnson is not in a rush to finalise his options in the club's attacking department.
Nomvethe did not contribute much to Usuthu's haul in front of goal last season as he only managed to score twice in 20 league appearances. This situation leaves Johnson and his technical with a tough decision to make.
“He is part of the team here in camp where we are preparing for the coming season and we have not decided what we are going to do with him‚” said Johnson‚ adding that the former Udinese marksman is looking in good shape.
“The way he is looking at training since we started our pre-season camp‚ I think he can still play but he is not getting any younger and we will see what happens as time goes by.
"So far‚ I am happy with how our pre-season is progressing.
"The rest of our preparations will be here in Durban because I don’t want players to travel too much before the season starts.
"We do a lot of travelling during the course of the season and it is important that the players spend time with their families before the season starts.”
Nomvethe‚ who has been playing professional football for almost 20 seasons after turning out for a number of clubs in the PSL like Orlando Pirates‚ Kaizer Chiefs and Moroka Swallows‚ has always maintained that he does not have ambitions to quit the sport anytime soon.
“I don’t know when I will stop playing professional football because my legs can still carry me‚" he said late last season where he credited dedication‚ family stability and maintaining a good lifestyle as some of the reasons for his longevity.
"Age is just a number‚ I am using the opportunity that I have to inspire others.”
Johnson also has another golden oldie in his arsenal in the coming campain in the form of 36-year old Mabhuti Khenyeza‚ the veteran who managed to contribute three goals and four assists in the 19 league matches that he took part in season.