Sundowns unlikely to retain midfielder as loan nears expiry

It appears increasingly unlikely that Mamelodi Sundowns will retain Katlego “Tsiki” Ntsabeleng once his loan deal expires at the end of the current campaign. According to information reaching Phakaaathi, the feeling at Chloorkop is that he has not done enough to justify the club triggering the option to make the move permanent. Ntsabeleng joined the Brazilians last year on a season-long loan from Major League Soccer outfit FC Dallas.

The agreement runs until June, when the PSL season concludes, and the midfielder is expected to return to the United States. Since making his return to South Africa, the attacking midfielder has struggled to establish himself in the Sundowns starting line-up. Competition for places in a star-studded squad has limited his opportunities, and he has found regular game time difficult to come by.

Ntsabeleng has managed just five appearances across all competitions, scoring a solitary goal. That strike came in the emphatic 5-1 victory over Remo Stars in the preliminary round of the CAF Champions League in October last year. Domestically, however, he has failed to find the back of the net.

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His most recent outing came in the 2-0 defeat to TS Galaxy in the Nedbank Cup, a match in which he was substituted at half-time as Sundowns crashed out of the competition. With limited impact and the season entering its decisive phase, it seems increasingly improbable that Sundowns will exercise their buy option, leaving Ntsabeleng’s future in limbo.

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