Lloyd Mutasa’s son highly-rated

By Eddie Chikamhi

Panashe Mutasa is set to walk in his father and brother’s footsteps if he gets the opportunity to don the Dynamos’ blue-and-white strip this season.

The 19-year-old, recently plucked from the Aces Youth Soccer Academy (AYSA) by the Glamour Boys, is the second son of former DeMbare midfielder and current coach Lloyd Mutasa.

A highly-rated midfielder, Panashe is looking to become the third from the Mutasa clan to play for the country’s biggest and most successful club after his father and his elder brother Wisdom, who also came through the Aces production line a few years ago.

Panashe is one of the three players that have so far been shortlisted by the Glamour Boys for their quota of five Under-20 players to be registered with the Premier Soccer League this season.

According to his last coach at AYSA, Backlyfieldy Chivenga, Panashe deserves a move to the big boys. Chivenga, who has worked with Premiership teams in the past, believes the youngster has a great future ahead of him if nurtured well.

“Like all the Mutasas, Panashe is talented, but has qualities that his predecessors did not have, which is the reason I would say he is yet to be the best player from that family. He is a fast and super intelligent player. Working with him, I have discovered his strengths in three playing positions and he has been consistent with his development path and would wish that whoever gets to work with him will realise the best position to use him according to their system and his strength.

“He is a speedy winger, who is good on deliveries from wide areas and able to play effectively on the left and right flank, depending on the system and demand.

“As a midfielder, he has played the number 10 and gives super assists. A good team player, who is very humble and drug-free due to the system that he has been raised in,’’ said Chivenga.

Panashe has been moulded at Aces from a tender age. But there is always the lingering danger to fall into the comfort zone working under the tutelage of his father.

His elder brother Wisdom, a promising talent, who once captained the national Under-20 side, fell into that trap during his short stint with the Harare giants before he decided to move to Tanzania last year.

But Chivenga believes Panashe is in good hands under the watch of his father. With appropriate guidance and support, he tipped the young midfielder to rise and surprise the sceptics among the Glamour Boys fans.

“At the moment he is in safe hands with his father, who is a tactician and knows how to utilise talented players.

“Dynamos are a big team and he has a lot of football years ahead and I would recommend that he keeps focused on the task of playing just like any other new player there, with a vision to go further than the other two Mutasas.

“I wish him well and with great guidance that he got from the academy, family and friends, he is going to be a big surprise. With such talent am sure the father will also not give him pressure due to the demands that come with being in a big club,” said Chivenga.

Panashe is just one of the promising players expected to come out from the academy this year. They had four players at the COSAFA Under-20 championship, who included Kudakwashe Mungami, Colin Mujuru and Nicholas Guyo.

“Besides Panashe, there are more good players that have been unleashed from the academy this year and am sure if you follow closely, there were others who were in the Under-20 COSAFA team that was in Zambia last year.

“Some of the players are likely to be playing in Division One and one in the Premiership,” said Chivenga.

AYSA is the same institution that has produced talented players such as Knowledge Musona, Khama Billiat, Walter Musona, Abbas Amidu, Bret Amidu, Donovan Bernard, George Chigova, Eric Chipeta, Silas Songani, Emmanuel Mandiranga and Michelle Katsvairo. The Herald