Orlando Pirates coach Abedslam Ouaddou has explained the reasons why star player Oswin Appollis has been spending little time on the pitch recently as compared to his maiden, breakthrough term with the PSL champions last season.

Ouaddou, who was addressing the media ahead of their Carling Knockout cup quarterfinal encounter against Sekhukhune United at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday, says his stocky attacking midfielder is a diamond and a masterclass that needs to be protected. Pirates are the defending champions in the tournament.

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But Appolis, who is one of the keys for coach Pitso Mosimane at Bafana Bafana, has only played 90 minutes in only two matches this season. He was even used as a substitute in the recent Soweto derby against Kaizer Chiefs and also in the MTN8 final against Sundowns. In the two matches, he brought in a lot of spark and added oomph into the Bucs team.

Ouaddou said:

“Appollis is one of the best players in South Africa, and he is full of quality. But he is human and not a robot.” 

“He had a fantastic first season with Pirates and a lot has changed for him. He then went to the FIFA World Cup, and he gave everything for his country. I was a player and can understand because as a former player, I played for my club and also for Morocco for six seasons,” he added.

“We are protecting our diamond because we have many games and we know that if we protect him, we give him this time, we know that he will be important for us. We’ll benefit from this protection we’re giving him. But soon, you are going to see Appollis back,” added the lanky Bucs coach.