With Stuart Baxter admitting that he is yet to find a suitable position for Nkosingiphile Ngcobo in his Kaizer Chiefs starting XI, his predecessor Gavin Hunt has identified how to get the best out of Mshini.
This season, Baxter has often been questioned about the 22-year-old's absence from the squad and with good reason too.
After all, the pint-sized midfielder was arguably one of Chiefs' best players last season and was expected to kick on under Baxter, who in the past has shown his belief in young players.
However Mshini has largely stagnated under Baxter this season and in a recent post-match press conference, Baxter revealed the reason behind that.
"I've said this to the technical staff, and I've said this to Mshini, I've struggled to really find the best role for him and that isn't saying that he cant play in the system that we play," Baxter told journalists.
"We tried him as a false nine, we tried him coming in off the wide [areas] we tried him in a sort of pocket between the midfield and the front players – but I've not got the best out of him yet and it's a little my fault and maybe his fault in adaptation but that doesn't mean I'm giving up and that doesn't mean I don't rate him because I try and take every possibility I can to get him some minutes so he can feel comfortable with whatever role we give. It's a work in progress for both of us. I hope he finds a role that he enjoys, and I hope the role will benefit the team.
But the man who, despite having had a torrid time at Chiefs in Hunt, did manage to get the best out of a player he likens to the late Shakes Kungwane, and has revealed what Ngcobo's shortcomings are and how Chiefs would need to adjust to accommodate him in their system.
"That means you going to have to change and rearrange your team to carry him a little bit. But he's got the pass and he's got the quality. He's like Shakes Kungwane. He's not going to defend, he can't run – but get him on the ball, he'll give you that pass," he said.
