Al Ahly boss Marcel Koller has been urged to give Percy Tau a rest as "he is clearly exhausted and not performing well".
After a sensational 2022/23 season for Al Ahly, which saw him win the CAF Champions League Golden Boot and the 2023 CAF Inter-Club Men's Player the Year award, Tau has so far not had as successful a campaign this term.
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In 27 outings across all competitions, the South African attacker has scored only seven goals to date.
Although he has been present for the bulk of his side's matches, having only missed three games through injury, his output has seemingly dried up.
This is despite the fact that he is the attacking player with the most minutes played for Al Ahly this season, ranking sixth in terms of minutes behind five defenders in the team.
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In fact, it was reported that he opted to sit out the March international break for his country, with some reports citing fatigue as the reason for his absence during South Africa's recent FIFA World Series games against Andorra and Algeria.
Now, a former Al Ahly star, Diaa El Sayed, has insisted that Tau should be given a break ahead of his side's upcoming league clash against Al Ittihad on Tuesday night, and the CAF Champions League final against Esperance de Tunis later this month.
"It is very important for some players to rest, such as Ali Maaloul and Percy Tau, and the latter is clearly exhausted and is not performing well," the former Egypt national team boss said, according to Al Masry Al Youm.
"The team is playing four matches in 12 days, and Kohler is preparing for the final [CAFCL].
"Fortunately, the Al Ahly squad includes good players and substitutes., like the starters, which is a great advantage for the team."
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Perhaps contrary to suggestions the 29-year-old is having a poor season by his recent standards, Tau has won the 2023/24 Egyptian Super Cup with Ahly, as well as a bronze medal at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations with Bafana this year.
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