FINDING a suitable replacement for Jeremy Brockie will be no easy task for SuperSport United.
Matsatsantsa a Pitori have already cast the net wide, looking beyond these shores to bring in a like-for-like replacement for the Kiwi star striker, who switched to city rivals Mamelodi Sundowns this week.
Eric Tinkler, whose side beat Maritzburg United 1-0 on Wednesday, thanks to Aubrey Modiba goal, went to great length explaining the massive task he was now facing to land, not only a striker, but someone who can “score goals!”
“There are plenty of strikers out there, but if you equate that to goals you see there aren’t too many,” said Tinkler.
“We need to bring in quality and experience. Losing Brockie is a huge blow and we need to replace him with quality. But we’re negotiating with three strikers at the moment. Whoever we are bringing is likely to be a foreigner. We don’t want to be rushing into things. We need to make sure whoever we’re bringing is the right person.”
United ended their seven-match winless streak but their dip in form has put their league title hopes in serious doubt.
They have been paired with Bloemfontein Celtic in the Nedbank Cup Last 32 round, the tough fixture coming amid their league travails.
With Bradley Grobler out injured, Matsatsantsa have struggled badly upfront and their troubles may be far from over.
Throwing in the youngsters is no option for Tinkler at this stage, as he has already farmed out Fagrie Lakay to Ajax Cape Town and Prince Dube to Black Leopards.
But he has retained faith in Darren Smith, though he emphasised the need to allow the youngster time to develop.
“At the moment we are struggling a little bit because of the injury woes, with Bradley out. Yes, the return of Thabo Mnyamane from injury is a massive boost, but we need to be patient with him. There are also youngsters coming through... Darren Smith.
"We got to give him more opportunities. That’s the situation we find ourselves right now in the league. But not going to panic. I have a lot of believe in the squad. One moment in a game will change things for us.”
