Deprecated: str_replace(): Passing null to parameter #3 ($subject) of type array|string is deprecated in /home/zbyiujsu/public_html/wp-content/plugins/jnews-social-share/class.jnews-initial-counter.php on line 40
Deprecated: str_replace(): Passing null to parameter #3 ($subject) of type array|string is deprecated in /home/zbyiujsu/public_html/wp-content/plugins/jnews-social-share/class.jnews-initial-counter.php on line 40
Deprecated: str_replace(): Passing null to parameter #3 ($subject) of type array|string is deprecated in /home/zbyiujsu/public_html/wp-content/plugins/jnews-social-share/class.jnews-initial-counter.php on line 40
Deprecated: str_replace(): Passing null to parameter #3 ($subject) of type array|string is deprecated in /home/zbyiujsu/public_html/wp-content/plugins/jnews-social-share/class.jnews-initial-counter.php on line 40
AmaZulu coach Pablo Franco Martin has admitted that Ivory Coast striker Junior Dion has been missed and that is why they are yet to score a goal this season.
Dion, who arrived at Usuthu from Marumo Gallants in the second half of last season, has missed all four league matches played by the club so far due to an injury.
Despite arriving in the second half of the season, Dion was the club’s top scorer last term, scoring five league goals in 12 appearances.
But he suffered a dislocated shoulder in the last part of the pre-season, having scored two goals in the final of the KZN Premier’s Cup, raising hopes that he was ready to fire Usuthu in his first full season when it matters the most.
As he is out injured, coach Martin has been left with Bongi Ntuli, Augustine Kwem and new signing Victor Letsoalo – all good forwards, but none of them have scored goals.
The club has even gone out of its way to sign Victorien Adebayor and they are closing on Horoya AC striker Yakhoba Barry.
“Dion suffered a dislocation in his shoulder in the last part of the pre-season and that is why he is not playing,” said Martin, whose AmaZulu side are the only club yet to have scored a league goal this season despite a fearsome attack up top.
“And probably these are the reasons we are not scoring goals because Junior was the top scorer last season, not only in numbers of goals but if you check the average of his goals because he played less game average to the other strikers.
“He’s by far the one who has the better average and he is not available for me. Bongi Ntuli was not available for pre-season and we are getting him fit now.
“Kwem, who was scoring in the pre-season, is having chances but he is not converting, struggling but doing a good job. Victor did not do any pre-season with us, he joined us in the last week in the pre-season (as he was part of the Bafana COSAFA Cup team).
“So it is easy to understand that we have four strikers but out of four, three were not ready to play from the first games. But it is not about panicking, it is about putting the pieces together and knowing what is happening here.
“Sadly we are late in that process and for me, this was expected.”
– Advertisement –
To emphasise Dion’s importance, he was the last player to score a goal for Usuthu last season, which came against Mamelodi Sundowns in May in the third to last game of the season.
Usuthu, who are 14th in the DStv Premiership table, next entertain TS Galaxy at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Wednesday (19:30).