With Kaizer Chiefs yet to publicly confirm a new deal, and his contract set to expire at the end of the season, defender Njabulo Ngcobo has a tough call to make on his future.
Signed from Swallows FC (now Moroka Swallows) after a standout campaign that earned him the DStv Premiership Defender of the Season award, Ngcobo has struggled to replicate his form in the famous Gold and Black colours, making 15 appearances in his first season at Naturena, and 14 in his second.
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These numbers both fall short in comparison to the 219 appearances Ngcobo made during his last season at the Dube Birds.
It has become increasingly clear that while the big defender remains an integral part of the Glamour Boys' squad, he is not viewed as a starter and trails behind the likes of Given Msimango, Thatayone Ditlhokwe and Edmilson Dove in the pecking order, all of whom have played nearly every game for the side this season.
If the 28-year-old harbours ambitions of career development and the possibility of reclaiming his place in the Bafana Bafana squad, he may have to consider a move elsewhere where he would be seen as a starter.
Frustratingly for the Folweni-born man, he has not necessarily been poor. However, when a club is endowed with defensive options that include 2021/22 Young Player of the Season Luke Fleurs, Mozambican national team and Botswana national team captains, trying to find a starting berth could be like selling ice to an Eskimo.
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Chiefs are still expected to offer Ngcobo a deal to keep him at Naturena before the start of the 2024/25 season as he makes for a strong defensive option, and the centre-back himself has indicated a desire to stay and fight for his place.
However, if the player decides to stay, he may have to accept his role as more of a back-up option than a starter and further accept that his chances to return to the Bafana fold are very likely go from slim to none.
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