Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has expressed being pleased with the return of duo Makhehleni Makhaula and Olisa Ndah.
The pair has missed the start of the season due to long-term injuries with Makhaula having been out since May with an ankle injury and Ndah since September 2024 due to a tibia/fibula fracture. They made the match-day squad in the 2-0 win over Chippa United in the league on Tuesday.
Ouaddou credited the club’s medical department for their work on the players adding that he appreciates the headache of having more quality to pick from.
“I’m a happy coach,” said Ouaddou.
“You know when you have all these big names coming back and growing the number in your team, I know it’s very difficult to make choices. But I prefer to be in trouble to choose players, then not to have players.
“But speaking about these players, Makhaula I just want to thank our medical department, because you know, when somebody is injured for a long time, you need to work with him mentally. You need to treat him. They did a fantastic job in order for us to be able to use him.
“Just about ‘Cash’ [Makhaula] you know, it’s been now three weeks, every morning when he comes to check me, he squeezed my hand very hard to tell me coach, I’m here, I’m back. So, he was making me feel that is he’s back.”
“I’m happy for him to be back on the pitch and we can feel the love that he has from the fans when he came. They were very happy. Ndah as well is coming. We’re happy because he had a long injury.
“So, it’s very important for a player to feel the ball, to feel the group, to be with the group. It gives you more motivation to come back. So, I’m happy for them.”
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