SuperSport United head coach Gavin Hunt has lamented the huge player loss the club has suffered ahead of the new season.
Matsatsantsa have lost a number of players and will have to reinvent themselves if they are to compete on all fronts.
The Pretoria-based outfit recently confirmed the transfer of current DStv Premiership Young Player of the Season Thapelo Maseko to champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
The 20-year-old was instrumental with his four goals and two assists as SuperSport finished third in the league last season, and confirmed their qualification for the Caf Confederation Cup.
Maseko followed Thatayaone Ditlokwe, who joined Kaizer Chiefs, while Patrick Maswanganyi moved to Orlando Pirates.
Hunt said he needed to reorganise his squad after the loss of important players.
“We’ve lost three or four key players that played most of the games last season. Now when you take that out of any team they're going to struggle,” he told IOL Sport.
“If you took that out of Sundowns, Chiefs, Sundowns and even Cape Town City or any of the top five teams last season, I think they’re going to struggle.
“So that's what's happened to us and it's something we've got to try and live with. Perhaps try to reinforce where we can or maybe even change the way we play in the short term.”
The relationship between SuperSport and Sundowns in the transfer market has grown in leaps and bounds in recent years with as many as seven players making the switch across town in the last five years.
In those five years, The Brazilians have gone on to win five league titles in a row and have also acquired two Nedbank Cups, one MTN8 and Telkom Knockout medals.
Hunt believes although they have a bizarre “relationship” with their rivals, SuperSport prioritises the livelihood and careers of some of their brightest talents.
“It doesn't happen anywhere else in the world besides South Africa because they've got the wealth so they can dominate,” he explained.
“It's very unique, nowhere in the world would Barcelona sell to Real Madrid or Manchester United to Manchester City, but it happens in South Africa because they (Sundowns) can.”
“One thing about SuperSport is that we give players opportunities and they'll also get opportunities in life and that's it.”
IOL Sport