Mamelodi Sundowns new signing Tashreeq Matthews has been questioned for leaving Europe and returning to South Africa so soon in his football career.
Former Moroka Swallows and Jomo Cosmos player, Mark Haskins has criticised the former IK Sirius forward for not moving to a bigger European league.
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South African players in general have also received criticism in recent years for being too "comfortable" in the PSL and not testing themselves enough abroad.
Haskins similarly believes Sundowns is a step back for the 23-year-old Matthews who's been very impressive in Sweden this season.
"I'm not sure how I feel about this one (Matthews' move to Sundowns). You speak about Dortmund..." Haskins told Sports Night Amplified with Andile.
"Again, what are we doing when someone who has done exceptionally well in Europe and is a serious prospect is once again coming back to South Africa? Is coming back to South Africa the right move?
"Especially considering where we want to go with our football, we have lamented in the past we don't have enough players in Europe and one of our brightest prospects who already had a footprint in Europe is coming back to South Africa, so I don't know," he added.
Matthews was part of the youth set-up at Ajax Cape Town (now Cape Town Spurs) and moved over to Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund in 2018 where he had developed through their famous youth system. Then he was sent out to Utrecht in the Netherlands to gain experience. He joined Sirius two years ago and has been so impressive that many were hoping he'd be given a chance for Bafana Bafana.
"He is coming to Sundowns because he is a quality player and is going to add value to the squad, but for South Africa as a whole I don't know if this is a great move," Haskins concluded.
The player himself is excited to join the Brazilians, a club that's pushing to be regarded as the best team in Africa after already winning the African Football League earlier this season.
"It's an honour for me to be at the club, for me, the best club in the country. A team like Sundowns, that believes in perfection and discipline, that's what you need to win trophies. I'm excited to be a part of this journey," Matthews told Sundowns media.
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