New Mamelodi Sundowns man Lyle Lakay is hoping that listening to Pitso Mosimane can turn him into a Europe-ready player.
A number of Downs stars have made the switch from Chloorkop to Europe in recent times with the likes of Keagan Dolly, Bongani Zungu and Percy Tau all swapping the yellow of Sundowns for a career overseas.
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The 26-year-old moved to the Brazilians in the recent transfer window and has undergone somewhat of a transformation from an out and out winger to a wing-back, a transition that Mosimane oversaw with Thapelo Morena after his move from Bloemfontein Celtic.
The former Cape Town City midfielder has begun the season in fine style and looks to be making the left-back spot his own after starting three out of a possible six competitive matches so far this season.
Lakay, speaking to IOL, highlighted the change in mindset required at the club and how he intends to follow in the footsteps of Tau, Dolly and Co by earning a move to Europe while at Sundowns.
Lakay said, ‘When you play on the wing, it’s normally attack first and defend after.
‘But in this position, it is the opposite, but for me, I think what helped me more is because I have the engine to go up and down. As a full-back, you want to support backward and forward.
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‘It was not a major adjustment, but I had to have the mindset that you defend first and attack afterwards,’ he added.
Despite his recent playing time, Lakay is eager to continue to impress Mosimane but admits that rotation is likely given the intensive fixture schedule which faces the defending Absa Premiership champions.
‘I wouldn’t know whether I’ve cemented my place or not; that’s the coach’s [Mosimane] decision. The season is long. So, I’ll probably share the workload with the rest of the guys. So far so good for me, but I can’t say much whether I’ll be a regular or not,’ he added.
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‘But when you’re talking of living up to expectations, I think I am at the right club now. If you look at the players that were here, they’ve gone to Europe – from Keagan Dolly, Bongani Zungu and recently Percy Tau,’ he reacted.
‘For instance, Dolly left the club, went to Ajax Cape Town, came back and then went to Europe. So, if I listen to the coach’s instructions, I could be the player that I want to be,’ he concluded.
Photo: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix
