Maswanganyi is a clear candidate for Footballer of the Season – Riveiro

With the DStv Premiership nearing to an end and the talk about who will walk away with the Footballer of the Season award, Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro feels his player Patrick Maswanganyi deserves to be nominated.

Maswanganyi, who joined the Buccaneers at the beginning of the season, has been instrumental for the club, scoring nine goals and providing ten assists in 34 appearances across all competitions.

On Sunday, he produced another Man of the Match performance to guide the Buccaneers to a 4-0 victory over Royal AM at Harry Gwala Stadium. He opened the floodgates when he netted from a penalty before Relehobile Mofokeng, Thalenthe Mbatha and Kabelo Dlamini scored the other goals and Riveiro said he is loved by many following his performances.

"People are in love with him and who I am to say who they should identify as the Footballer of the Season," Riveiro told the media after the match.

"I think SA football fans have a got a taste of football they know and football they see. Let's see at the end; it is important that the team is getting good results with performances and then the individuals can shine.

"He is a clear candidate, but let's see."

The Spaniard was also pleased to see his free-scoring side continue converting the chances they created. In the last four matches, they have scored 16 goals in both the league and the Nedbank Cup (7-1 against Golden Arrows, 4-2 against AmaZulu, 1-0 against AmaZulu and 4-0 against Royal).

"We have a lot of talent in the team... Right now, we are in the moment where the ball is getting into the net," he said.

"Early in the season, I think we played better games than today [Sunday] and we didn't manage to score a single goal. Right now, we are much more confident when we are in the last third.

"But in the end, it is about the team. It is about the 11 on the team, the structure and the football that we believe and when we are in that structure, our talent can shine like we did in the second half.

"I'm so happy for all of them excellent human beings and talented players and I'm happy for them, happy for the fans because they can enjoy their football and happiness."

Meanwhile, Pirates have confirmed that wing-back Thabiso Lebitso suffered a broken collarbone during their match against Royal.

Lebitso, 32, had to be stretchered off in the 17th minute of the game.

“The prognosis of how long Lebitso will be out for will be known post his procedure," a statement from the club read.