BY DANIEL NHAKANISO
HE might be yet to feature in a competitive match for his new club after his big move off-season, but Zimbabwe international striker Macauley Bonne appears to have already done enough in pre-season to convince Charlton Athletic manager Lee Bowyer that he is the real deal.
The 23-year-old highly-rated forward joined Charlton Athletic last month on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee from last season’s National League champions to move up two levels on the English Football League system.
And despite having not made his debut in the English Football League Championship yet, Bowyer believes Bonne has the attributes to make a strong impact in the second-tier league after hitting the ground running during the team’s pre-season training camp in Spain.
“Macauley Bonne, it’s tough for him because he came from non-league, from Leyton Orient. But he’s got potential, we’ve seen something that we can improve,” Bowyer told Charlton’s official website.
“The lad can finish, so we just have to polish up on other parts of his game and try and develop him into an all-round striker. He’s got pace, he works hard and for me he’s a good signing.”
Bowyer, who is hoping to build a team that can compete in the Championship next season, having guided Charlton to promotion from League One in his first full season as a manager last term, called on The Addicks as Charlton are affectionately known, fans to give Zimbabwean time to settle, describing him as a “good asset” to the club.
“We have to be patient with him; we’ve known that from the start. Obviously [with us] going from League One to the Championship, it’s going to be an even bigger jump for him. But I have no doubt in him; he’ll keep progressing and improving, so he’s a good asset to our squad,” he said.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Bonne was born in Ipswich 23 years ago to Zimbabwean parents and made his international debut for Zimbabwe as a teenager in 2014 with the national Under-23 side and scored after just 19 minutes in a friendly against Morocco.
Two years ago he also featured for the Zimbabwe senior side in two international friendlies against Lesotho and Namibia.
The player has, however, been unable to represent the Warriors in competitive matches and was recently not included in the squad for the Africa Cup of Nations after failing to acquire the necessary travel documents that could have made him eligible to feature in the continental tournament.
The forward only submitted his documents to the Zimbabwe Embassy in the United Kingdom two months before the tournament, but his case was already complicated because of changes in the citizenship law.
Zifa is, however, determined to make him available in time for the start of the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers in October.
Nicknamed Macca, Bonne started his career as an eight-year-old at Ipswich Town followed by a brief stop at Norwich City before finally landing at Colchester in 2009, where he shot up from youth ranks to the first team.
After struggling to get regular game time, he made the move to Leyton Orient from Colchester United in July 2017, signing a two-year deal, and hasn’t really looked back since.
The 23-year-old immediately became a regular in the team and quickly began to find the back of the net on a regular basis, earning himself cult hero status at the club.
In his first campaign at the club he notched 22 goals from 44 league appearances — 25 in all competitions — and was crowned Player of the Season.
He bettered that tally by one last season, helping Orient out of the National League and back into League Two, sparking major interest in his services in England including Premier League side Leicester City.
