Orlando Pirates boss Abdeslam Ouaddou explains Sebastian Pedersen absence

Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou says new signing Sebastian Pedersen is not yet fully fit and must be given time to adapt before making his debut for the club.

The 27-year-old striker joined Pirates from Norwegian club Sogndal Fotball a month ago for an undisclosed fee, but has yet to feature in an official match or be included in a matchday squad for the Buccaneers.

Pedersen’s absence has attracted attention among Pirates supporters, who were expecting to see the forward in action after his arrival. However, Ouaddou says the club is taking a cautious approach as the player continues his physical preparation and settles into a new country and footballing environment.

Speaking on Thursday ahead of Pirates’ MTN8 semi-final first leg against Sekhukhune United, the coach explained why Pedersen has not yet been selected.

“I think there is a lot of excitement around his value, and we’re happy, of course, when we see his data in his previous clubs, and when we see that what we need in our game and when you know that last season in Africa Pirates were the team who create the most chances in the continent that the average of conversion was low, let’s say poor, and we we needed to find some solutions,” Ouaddou said on Thursday.

“So he is the man that the scouting department has seen maybe to help us. At the moment, I think he is really happy to join Pirates. We saw a lot of happiness, a lot of excitement from him in training.

“We can see definitely that he has the quality to finish, definitely. I don’t need one month to see that he’s a finisher. Now the question mark is again whether he can put his qualities on the on the table and to show his qualities it’s important to be fit and in that area he is not 100%.

“The performance department is working closely with him to have him fully ready. And one area that is very important as well and I’m very cautious because I was in that situation. You know, when you travel, when you’re professional football player, and you go into a new environment, in a new country, there is a time of integration.

“There is this stress of discovering the environment. You have to eat differently. There is a new environment, so a lot of things change, and it’s not kind of physical. It’s here, it’s mental.

“So these things you have to be careful about and take time to integrate him because we don’t want to risk any injury.

“So I’m like you, I want to see him on the pitch, but at the same time, as a coach, I cannot just throw him in the fire, and then maybe the fire can burn him.”

Ouaddou added that Pedersen has already shown the finishing ability Pirates were seeking when they signed him. The coach said he did not need a month to recognise the striker’s quality in front of goal, but stressed that the player must first reach full fitness before he can demonstrate it competitively.

The club’s performance department is working closely with Pedersen as he continues that process. Ouaddou also highlighted the psychological demands involved in moving to a different country, including adjusting to a new environment and changes in everyday life such as diet.

He said those factors could affect a player mentally as well as physically, and that Pirates did not want to expose Pedersen to the risk of injury by selecting him before he was ready.

Pedersen arrives at Orlando Pirates after scoring 21 goals in 45 appearances for Sogndal Fotball.