Tlolane: He Wanted Me To Enjoy Myself Again

Tebogo ‘Messi’ Tlolane has opened up about what he was told by Eric Tinkler – the Maritzburg United head coach – which led to his impressive performances for the KwaZulu-Natal outfit.

Following his arrival in KZN in January after being loaned from Orlando Pirates, Tloane quickly became a regular in Tinkler’s line-ups and one of the top performers for the team. 

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“The encouragement that I got when I arrived here, because I was worried and not just about the technical team, but by the players. As soon as I arrived, the players were all excited to see me. So they also gave me that encouragement – that boost,” said Tloane.  

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“Also, the head coach, first day when I arrived coach Eric Tinkler told me that he wanted me to enjoy myself again and that he knows what I can bring to the team. It was very easy after hearing those words from him, he made it easy for me. The rest was for me to go onto the pitch and enjoy myself and I was grateful enough to start very well and to get the ball rolling,” the 25-year-old added. 

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“But I also have to give much credit to the team – the players, technical team and the supports, because the first time I got there for the first game they were excited to see me on the pitch,” the ex-Chippa United star concluded.