Pule must wait to make his United debut

SuperSport United supporters will have to wait a little longer before they see mercurial attacking midfielder Jabu Pule in action for his new club.

Despite speculation that Pule might be given a run when United take on Bush Bucks at the Absa Stadium in East London on Tuesday night (7pm), coach Pitso Mosimane confirmed on Monday that the former Bafana Bafana midfielder was not yet at the required physical and mental readiness.

Mosimane added that Pule was also not in his plans for the SAA Supa8 final against Bloemfontein Celtic at Olen Park Stadium in Potchefstroom on Saturday.

“I am not under any pressure to play Jabu at the moment.

“He hasn't played competitive football in about four months and people must remember that it takes time to regain full fitness.

“Last week, I had to excuse him from training because he received a knock from one the players during training which also contributed to him not being available.

“That lay-off negatively affected the physical progress he was making and he must now start the work all over again,” Mosimane said.

Mosimane remained tight lipped when pressed to reveal when he was likely to give Pule a run, but indications are that he might be thrown into the deep end when United visit Orlando Pirates for a Castle Premier League assignment at Ellis Park on September 21.

A new United player who is certain to play a role in Tuesday's game is Bafana Bafana striker Katlego Mphela, who made his United debut in their 1-0 defeat to Silver Stars on Saturday.

Though he was not at his best, Mphela showed glimpses of his abilities as a striker and was a constant thorn in the side of the Silver Stars defence marshalled by Lefa Mogaila and Willem Jackson. He came close to scoring in the closing stages, but his well-struck shot was saved by goalkeeper Wayne Sandilands.

Mphela and his attacking partner, Lungisani Ndlela, who had an awful game against Silver Stars, face a mammoth task against Bush Bucks, who need to start getting as many points as possible to get out of the relegation zone.

Bucks are sitting uncomfortably second from the bottom after four matches with two draws and two losses, and having accumulated only two points, a favourable result is needed to lift the morale of the players.

On the other hand, United's position is not much better, as they are sitting just one place above Bucks on the log with a meagre four points from as many matches and Mosimane must come up with a plan to help his team get their championship campaign back on track.

United make the trip to East London without captain Ricardo Katza, who is suspended after picking up a red card for elbowing Silver Stars player Brenden Carelse last weekend.

Katza is also going to miss the final a few days later, but Mosimane has the likes of Kaitano Tembo and Abass Inusah to replace him.

Wednesday's fixtures:

Free State Stars vs Santos (Charles Mopeli Stadium, 3.15pm), Golden Arrows vs Kaizer Chiefs (Absa Stadium, 7.30pm), Black Leopards vs Sundowns (Thohoyandou Stadium, 7.30pm), Ajax Cape Town vs Moroka Swallows (Athlone Stadium, 7.30pm)