A reported move to Mamelodi Sundowns for Jayden Adams could be causing frustration on the part of head coach Steve Barker at Stellenbosch FC.
Reports that Adams will be moving to Sundowns in the off-season are gaining momentum and the 22-year-old has been conspicuous by his absence in Stellies' last few games of the campaign.
The Bafana Bafana midfielder missed three games in a row for the Western Cape side in March - back-to-back Western Cape derbies against Cape Town City and Cape Town Spurs in the DStv Premiership - and was also not in the squad against Milford in the Nedbank Cup round of 16.
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Adams then returned to feature against Kaizer Chiefs and Royal AM.
However, he was also not in the squad against Polokwane City, before returning in Stellenbosch's 4-0 win over SuperSport United in the Nedbank Cup quarter-finals last weekend.
Barker appeared disappointed that he could be losing one of his key players, after suggesting that players should consider taking the club's project seriously given their achievements this season rather than quickly jumping ship to join the big clubs.
"There will always be talk because it’s part of football whether in South Africa, England or Germany. When players are doing well, there is always talk of the so-called bigger clubs wanting to get them," Barker responded, when asked about Adams' rumoured move to Sundowns, on Radio 2000's Game On.
"But I just believe now that we're a team that has been in semifinals and we have won a cup. Hopefully we can finish strong in the league and go into Africa. If I’m a player, I’d look at that and stay in Stellenbosch because I think we’re doing something special.
"We’ll continue to do special things and compete at the highest level. Two or three years ago, maybe players were lured to bigger clubs because they thought they could compete at a higher level, but we’re reaching that stage. I also hope that players won’t want to leave the club, but speculation will always be there and we will assess that at the end of the season and make informed and correct decisions," Barker added.
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Adams, who has been ever-present in the Stellies squad until recently, started against SuperSport before he was substituted early in the second stanza.
The 22-year-old has had a stellar season with the Cape Winelands side after he was also included in the Bafana's AFCON squad.
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