Like the norm has been throughout the past years, St Mary’s Secondary School, Kitende has been a local hub of several talents but only a few manage to squeeze into the senior team.
Abubakali Walusimbi is the latest name to emerge out of Kitende – the school into Vipers – the senior team and head coach Leonard Neiva says he is such a huge talent.
In the post-match conference, Neiva said that he is happy to work with Walusimbi and he will do all it takes to see that he makes him a better player.
“I am very happy to work with Walusimbi. It’s my obligation as a coach to see that I turn him into even a much better player,” the gaffer noted.
“He is such a big talent that is why I gave him a chance to play. You can not believe how good this young man is, he is very talented and he will be helpful to us,” he added.
The 15-year-old midfielder was introduced on the green in the 58th minute to replace Abubaker Lawal in his first Vipers’game this season.
He was warmly welcomed by the noisy crowd and each time he made a tackle or passed the ball the students would loudly chant proving how they supported their school captain.
Despite the praise, Neiva was quick to highlight that Walusimbi should be handled well and thrown under the bus since you might end up burning such a huge talent.
“He has a great future and I see a lot of potential in him. He is very young and needs time to grow and get used to professional football as well as get stronger mentally.
“You hardly need to push him but allow him to grow and develop gradually otherwise you might end up burning the player. However, I was satisfied with his performance against URA,” he concluded.
Ten-man Vipers beat URA 2-0 and the victory lifted Vipers into the second position on the 16-team log with 17 points after playing eight games.
Vipers return to action on November 30th as they visit UPDF at Bombo Barracks Grounds in Luwero.
