With George Matlou's contract at Kaizer Chiefs set to expire on 30 June 2025, questions have been raised about his impact at the club.
Former footballer Junior Khanye has expressed concerns over Matlou's performances, suggesting that the midfielder has not done enough since joining Amakhosi in 2022 from Moroka Swallows.
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Matlou has struggled for regular game time, making only 10 appearances this season under coach Nasreddine Nabi, with just three starts.
His progress was further hampered by a long-term knee injury.
However, with the recent arrival of Thabo Cele and Edson Castillo's contract extension, his future at the club looks uncertain.
Khanye believes Matlou, despite his overseas experience, has yet to prove himself at Chiefs.
Khanye argues that a strong mentality is essential at a big club, comparing Matlou's situation to other players who returned from Europe but failed to make a significant impact at Naturena.
"There are some good players that get to sign for Chiefs, but the problem for some of them is that they lack the character needed to make it at a big club like Chiefs, and George Matlou is one of them. For example, Thabo Cele is one player that I have never had doubts about, and all that I needed to see from him was how quickly he would be able to adjust at Kaizer Chiefs to produce the same performances I have always seen him produce at his previous clubs and in the junior national teams throughout his career," said Khanye, speaking exclusively to the Siya crew.
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"But for some players, things are different because they lack the strong mentality needed to make it at a big club like Chiefs. Matlou previously played overseas, and you would expect much more contribution from him to the team, but what has he done so far? I'm worried that in him we might see another Keagan Dolly kind of a story, who also came back from overseas and didn't contribute much at Chiefs. It was the same thing with (Kgaogelo) Sekgota who came back from Portugal and joined Chiefs via Swallows and did nothing after that. Yes, the guys might have had their moments here and there where they showed what they are capable of doing, but was that enough to play for Chiefs? I don't think so, and I'm not being hard on them. A player like Matlou should look at himself in the mirror and ask if he thinks he has done enough for Chiefs since joining the club, and maybe from there he can be able to do more," Khanye said.
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