With Kaizer Chiefs supporters seemingly not yet sold on Flavio Silva, former club star Jabu Mahlangu has suggested what he wants to see from the new striker.
Expectations reached a high after Chiefs announced the signing of Silva, who is expected to carry the goal-scoring burden.
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After all, the 29-year-old scored 30 goals in 45 appearances for Indonesian club Parsebaya Surabaya in 2023/24 and netted nine goals in 33 games for the same club last term.
However, he has covered himself in glory during the series of his new club’s pre-season friendlies in the Netherlands, with the majority of fans, at least on social media, doubting his quality.
Mahlangu has suggested what he wants to see from Silva to be convinced that he's the real deal.
"Is it fair to judge him now? Because they are criticizing him on social media. Let me give him a chance because it's a new environment, new players, new country and the challenge is big. Because Kaizer Chiefs is not in the top eight, they want to bring back the glory days," Mahlangu said on his Diski Shandis podcast.
"It's a big challenge, he has to hit the ground running, there will be no time to let him adjust. That's why I say I don't know if his character... Let me see him for a few weeks, but most importantly, I want to see his character, attitude and whether he knows how to hit the back of the net.
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"Because he's here to hit the net. But I don't think it's fair to crush him. He doesn't know these guys, it's the first time he's playing with them, their strengths, movements. But he needs to pull up his socks because when you start like this, with fans criticizing you, it becomes difficult," he added.
As previously reported by this website, the Indonesian league is lowly ranked and not yet fully professional, and a jump to the PSL is a huge test for Silva, who spent the majority of his career in the lower divisions of Portugal.
Image: Kaizer Chiefs
