Benni McCarthy: Mobara can fill Kaizer Chiefs-bound Sithebe's position at AmaZulu

Versatile former Cape Town City and Orlando Pirates player Abbubaker Mobara, 27, has been identified by AmaZulu FC coach Benni McCarthy as one who can fill the shoes of departing midfielder Siyathemba Sithebe.

Sithebe, 29, has signed a pre-contract to join Kaizer Chiefs in July after attempts to extend his stay with Usuthu failed in January. The player, though still training with the Durban club, is unlikely to feature in the remaining five months as club bosses have not taken kindly to his decision to dump them for Chiefs.

McCarthy, on the other hand, has started making plans to live without Sithebe and believes Mobara could help strengthen his midfield.

“Well … we’re losing Sithebe to Chiefs. He’s a midfielder and so it opens up a nice space for Mobara,” said McCarthy of the player he briefly worked with at City in 2019.

“I know he’s [Mobara] a right-back, he’s good at right-back. But in that position we have [Thembela] Sikhakhane, [Mbongeni] 'Shoes' Gumede and Kgotso Moleko and so competition is good there.

“But in midfield I think you want to dominate, you want to dictate matches and Mobara has that intelligence.

“He’s got the skills, work ethic and he’s got the intelligence to play in that role. So one door closes with Sithebe and with Mobara one opens”

Though McCarthy would have liked to bring in more than two players in Mobara and Sudanese striker Abraham Majok in the January transfer window, he thanked the club bosses for their efforts to bolster the team.

“I would have wanted maybe an extra two or three more players, just for the depth.

“You go to play in the Caf Champions League and then you come back two days later and you play in the league. Look what travelling on the continent did to us when we played Sekhukhune United [they lost 2-0 in October] after coming back from the DRC [to play TP Mazembe].

“It was tough, but if you have two good players in each position, you can juggle the team around.”

AmaZulu returned to action on Sunday and were disappointed that they lost 1-0 to Orlando Pirates in the Nedbank Cup last 32.

Usuthu face Moroccan giants Raja Casablanca at the Stade Mohammed V in Morocco (9pm) on Saturday in what will be their first match in Group B that also includes Guinean club Horoya AC and ES Setif of Algeria.