Beganovic: Mahlambi Must Fix His Body To Be Signed
TS Galaxy coach Adnan Beganovic has given a less positive update on Phakamani Mahlambi, saying the former Mamelodi Sundowns attacker must “fix his body to be a professional footballer” after admitting that his physical condition has “crashed”.
Mahlambi was invited to train with TS Galaxy late last year, which might have been partly due to his younger brother Seluleko Mahlambi being on the club’s books.
The 28-year-old, who played a key role in Bidvest Wits’ 2016/17 Premiership title-winning season, attempted to revive his career earlier this season at Durban City, but the move did not materialise.
Mahlambi had hoped to reunite with his former title-winning coach Gavin Hunt at City, but he was not given sufficient time to train after suffering an Achilles tendon injury in 2021. His last competitive appearance came on 25 September 2021, when Chippa United faced Stellenbosch, with the midfielder then on loan from Sundowns.
That spell at Chippa had also seen Mahlambi reunited with Hunt, who was hoping to work with him for a third time at Durban City.
As Mahlambi continues training with Galaxy, Beganovic said it is now up to the player to convince the club to offer him a contract, although concerns remain over his physical condition, which the coach suggested has been affected by issues in his private life.
“He trained with us, but after a couple of days he had a situation where a member of his family passed away,” Beganovic said after Galaxy’s 1-0 loss to AmaZulu at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday.
“As I’ve said many times, it’s not on me. He needs to do everything himself. He needs to fix his body to be a professional footballer.
“It’s not easy when you’ve lost everything, when your body has crashed and you want to return to the same level you were at five, six or even 10 years ago. It’s not easy at all.
“You need to suffer a lot and you need time, if you are lucky, to come back to that professional level. It’s very tough and difficult for him because he’s lost that feeling and the connection with his body. It’s not like before. I don’t know what he did in his private life.”
Mahlambi’s once-promising career saw him win the PSL Young Player of the Season award, earning a move to Egyptian giants Al Ahly for the 2017/18 season before joining Mamelodi Sundowns in 2018.
He was later loaned out to AmaZulu and Chippa United, where his career began to stall.
“Obviously, he didn’t live a professional life, and that makes it a bit tough,” Beganovic added.
“At this level, we don’t always have time to wait too long. Some players arrive ready to compete at the top. If he can’t help us, we will take young players who can, because it’s a long season.”
