BIG things were expected of Knowledge Musona when he moved to Germany from South Africa last year.
REPORT BY HENRY MHARA SPORTS REPORTER
Here was a goal ace who arrived in the Bundesliga on the back of an impressive 15 goals for Kaizer Chiefs in his second campaign as a professional player. So impressive was his goalscoring record in the Absa Premiership that Hoffenheim decided to pay a reported R15 million for the then 21-year-old player.
But Musona failed to hit the proverbial barn door at Hoffenheim, playing 16 matches and failing to find the nets. This prompted the club to loan the forward out to Augsburg. Things were expected to improve at Augsburg, but the move has failed to inspire Musona so far.
In nine games for Augsburg, and a combined 572 minutes in the Germany top-flight league, a Bundesliga goal remains elusive for Musona. Musona’s only goal since his much-publicised move was in a cup game for Augsburg. The striker has not featured in his struggling Augsburg side in the last two matches.
He last featured for the team on November 25 as a late substitute against Borussia Moenchengladbach, given a five-minute cameo and was an unused sub against Stuttgart on Wednesday.
He could not make it into the final 18 against Freiberg on Saturday.
Augsburg, who have won one game in 15 matches and are second from the bottom at the log, face former champions Bayern Munich on Saturday.
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Musona at 22, still has age on his side and plenty to prove. Some European magazines still rate him as one of the best youngsters in the Bundesliga at the moment despite him firing blanks.
An online football magazine Hard Tackle, which analyses all top European clubs, recently published an article “Ibrahima Traoré And Knowledge Musona: Bundesliga’s Newest Shiners,” rating the Warriors striker and the Guinea midfielder Traoré who plays for Stuttgart, as the two finest young players currently playing in the Bundesliga.
Musona, together with players like Khama Billiat, Archford Gutu, Quincy Antipas, Abbas Amidu, Arial Sibanda, Rodreck Mutuma, Denver Mukamba, Lionel Mtizwa and Bradley Pritchard, are likely to form the core of new Warriors coach Klaus Dieter Pagels will be assembling in the new year.
