The Sunday Mail
Langton Nyakwenda
Sports Reporter
HIS teammates and close friends call him “Grealish” because they see similarities between this exciting prospect and Manchester City’s record signing, Jack Grealish.
The former Aston Villa skipper joined City for a staggering US$139 million early this month.
The move broke the British record and has become an inspiration to a 20-year-old local white player, Calum English-Brown.
A product of Legends Football Academy who has also played for the Young Warriors, the rising star has just completed his own move to ambitious Castle Lager Premier Soccer League side Herentals.
He is expected to make history when the top-flight resumes as he could become the first white in-field player to star for a Premiership side since the turn of the millennium.
Prior to that, America Kelly “Dube” Robinson was part of Highlanders’ championship squad of 1999.
Ryan Harrison — who featured for Harare City under his father Mark in 2018 — was a goalkeeper.
English-Brown once signed for Harare City as a 16-year-old in 2017, but he was one of the unused Under-20 players in the squad.
He hogged the limelight when he was selected for the 2017 COSAFA Under-17 tournament by Moses “Bambo” Chunga.
The Legends Academy alumni was part of a squad that included Dynamos left-back Tino Muringai, Madalitso Chunga and Tino Benza, who has now established himself at Herentals, where he partners his 49-year-old father Innocent.
And coach Kumbirai Mutiwekuziwa is now relishing the reunion of English-Brown and the younger Benza, two of the most exciting prospects on the local front.
“Calum English-Brown is a very intelligent youngster; a very creative player whose dribbling is amazing,” the Herentals gaffer told The Sunday Mail Sport.
“I am lucky to have a player with such swiftness, he thinks faster than the others and he always tries to create chances for his teammates.
“His decision-making when he has the ball is quite pleasing for me as a coach. This is making me feel he is going to make a big impact.
“At the same time, we are still building him and trying to make him work on his weaknesses that we have so far identified.
“He is a midfielder who is very good at attacking, so we need to work on improving the way he receives balls.
“We will try to discourage him from receiving the ball in unnecessary areas.”
The soft-spoken coach rates the player highly and is already building a combination with Tino Benza.
Having featured together for the Young Warriors, the duo is now set for a potentially exciting reunion in Herentals’ colours.
The Students have invested a lot in young talent as they prepare for the resumption of the domestic game, which has been stalled by the Covid-19-induced lockdown.
“It’s a combination that we are building. Both Tino and English-Brown are quick players. The good thing is that they normally play one another most of the times.
“Tino is also a promising young player who is developing, with a lot of positive aspects to the game. He is growing into a player who can decide games, his finishing is improving and his advantage is that he can pack powerful long-range shots,” added Mutiwekuziwa.
The 20-year-old Benza won the 2018 PSL Rookie Player of the Year award and scored a contender for the Goal of the Season against Bulawayo Chiefs that year.
He was one of the outstanding players at the side before the 2021 Chibuku Super Cup was suspended, bagging the man-of-the-match accolade in the 0-0 opener against Harare giants Dynamos. Tino scored in the 1-2 loss against Harare City on June 5.
He started playing for Herentals as a 16-year-old when the team was still in the Northern Region Division One and has now grown in stature, amid reports that he has also attracted interest from beyond borders.
“Herentals are known as The Students because that is where most of our players come from. We always try to promote and expose these youngsters to the world of professional football.
“That’s why we do not normally take in expensive players. We groom our own; that’s why we are having a number of young players in the team,” said the coach.
Apart from producing the likes of Richard Hachiro and Carlos Mavhurume, who are now at CAPS United, as well as DeMbare’s Jean Mutudza, the team are home to a number of youthful players, including central midfielder Kibaki Dhlamini and Wilmore Chimbetu.
Dhlamini is son to former Black Aces star Kimati, while Chimbetu is an offspring of the late Dendera music crooner, Naison.
The Students have added another football student, English-Brown, who is back in the country after a short stint with German lower-tier club Eintracht Norderstedt 03.
The attacking midfielder honed his skills at Eastlea-based Legends Academy under the watchful eye of coach Farai Dhliwayo.
