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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
FORMER national Under-17 coach Rodwell Dhlakama has expressed his interest in luring Hwange-based Young Warriors left-footed Claivert Tshuma to Ngezi Platinum Stars where he is hopeful that the player will realise his potential.

Dhlakama wants to reunite with Tshuma who has been on the headlines after being controversially dropped from the Under-17 Cosafa squad following reports that the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) picked that he was overage.

The much-travelled coach’s first encounter with the player was in 2018 when the player was recruited for the Prince Edward based academy, a brain child of Regis Dzenga. Then, Dhlakama was the head of scouting at the academy with former Highlanders coach and ex-national team assistant Bongani Mafu being head coach.

Dhlakama said it was unfortunate that the footballer is now entangled in such controversy that might affect his future.

“I don’t want to talk much about this player but I’ve keen interest in him and I want to take him to Ngezi Platinum’s Under-19 side because he is a footballer with a huge potential. Right now if he is not properly managed his game might be greatly affected but as a person who saw him at Prince Edward I want to see him realise his full potential.

When I was at Chapungu, we travelled to Hwange for our game that we won 1-0 and during that trip I looked for his family so that I could recruit him,” said Dhlakama.

The former Monomotapa gaffer who had coaching stints in Eswatini, said the last time he checked Tshuma was registered by Hwange in their developmental slots. — @ZililoR