Sekhukhune United head coach Eric Tinkler has made a bold claim that he can get midfielder Lebogang Phiri back to his best.
Phiri, 31, is one of the new acquisitions at Ba bina Noko in this January transfer window having signed a six month deal with the Limpopo side. Prior to signing for Sekhukhune the former Bafana Bafana international was without a club for six months.
He was a second half substitute in the side’s 1-0 loss to Stellenbosch FC at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Tuesday night, a result that saw his side slip down to fourth place on the Betway Premiership log with 25 points.
Tinkler believes it’s just a matter of time before Phiri gets back to his best and he is confident of this because he knows the player’s work ethic.
“Yeah, definitely [can get him back to his best] because I know the boy since he was 12 years old,” Tinkler answered iDiski Times when asked about Phiri.
“I’ve known him; he’s a phenomenal, professional hard worker. He’s been out of the game, yes, but he looks after his body. He keeps training. So it’s more game conditioning that he needs just to get back in.”
“But the talent, I know the talent. I know what he can he give us and he’ll probably be up to full speed by the time we get to the [TS] Galaxy game.”