Young Africans striker, Mrisho Ngassa is taking all precautions to stay injury free ahead of the impending trip to London for trials with West Ham United. Speaking to the Citizen by telephone from Mwanza, Ngasa said he was careful to avoid unnecessary tackles that would jeopardise his bid to play competitive soccer in Europe. “I want to avoid injuries because I can’t show my best if I am not fit,” said Ngassa. Ngasa is busy with Young Africans who are seeking a Vodacom premier league record setting finish. He said many soccer enthusiasts were keenly waiting to see him excel and this put more pressure on him to undergo thorough training for the two-week trials scheduled to start on April 13. “Yes, there is lots of pressure now; fans and many other stakeholders are observing my every step,” he said. He added: “I am in a hard time, but I hope they all want me to be focused and pass the tricky trials, I ask them to keep on praying for me.” Should the sparkling striker perform well with West Ham United, he will be the first player from the country to play competitive soccer in the dominant English league. The player said he was concentrating on the remaining league matches and affirmed he was considering extra training to keep fit for the trials. Ngasa is also concerned by the fact that many players from Tanzania have undergone trials in Europe but failed to impress big clubs. “This is a big test, my colleagues have failed to secure contracts after the trials, so I must work hard to meet their criteria,” the speedy striker said. |