Maritzburg United have announced a trio of new signings as the club moves to cover all its bases ahead of the new Absa Premiership season.
Former Bidvest Wits playmaker Daylon Claasen, as well as foreign pair Dan Morgan and Micah Lea’alafa have all joined the club.
The Team of Choice narrowly avoided relegation via the play-offs last term and chairperson Farook Kadodia want to ensure there is no repeat in 2019/20.
The club barely had an off-season due to their extended season and coach Eric Tinkler says this may have been a blessing in disguise.
The club has already made some major inroads in the market since the sale of king pair Siphesihle Ndlovu and Fortune Makaringe to Orlando Pirates over the winter.
Phumlani Ntshangase, Judas Moseamedi, Kwanda Mngonyama, Yusuf Jappie and Gabriel Nyoni have also joined, taking the number of new faces at the Harry Gwala Stadium to eight.
Three of those are now foreign, bringing that tally to five, with the others being Richard Ofori and Brian Onyango.
Tinkler spoke about Zimbabwean striker Nyoni as one with highly impressive qualities.
Tinkler was recently quizzed about what his objectives will be for the new season and the former Orlando Pirates and Cape Town City mentor did not seem too impressed when told that he should look at ending in the top eight.
Most established PSL clubs look to finish in the top half of the table as a satisfactory benchmark, but Tinkler says that simply avoiding a repeat of last season, where they spent nearly two-thirds of the season at the bottom of the table, will please him.
Fans were given a glimpse of some of the new players at the Msunduzi Cup pre-season tournament in Pietermaritzburg last Saturday, although the Team of Choice only played one game where they were knocked out early.
They will now participate in the Premier’s Cup in Durban this weekend when fans will be given another chance to catch a view of the new players that have been signed by Tinkler.
– Report by Thahir Asmal
