The PSL Player of the Month for January 2019 surpassed his own pre-season expectations by scoring 16 goals in the league
Orlando Pirates forward Frank Mhango has spoken about a conversation he had with his former coach Gavin Hunt before he joined the Buccaneers.
The Malawi international secured a big move to Pirates from the now-defunct Bidvest Wits ahead of the 2019/20 season - leaving Hunt behind at the Clever Boys.
Mhango had a dream debut season at Bucs as he hit the back of the net 16 times in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and he scooped the league's Golden Boot award.
The diminutive attacker has revealed he told Hunt, who is now in charge of Kaizer Chiefs, that he was confident of scoring 15 goals in a single season.
“I remember at the beginning of last season, when I was still at Bidvest Wits, I told my then coach Gavin Hunt that this season, I’m going to score 15 goals,” Mhango told iDiski Times.
“But Gavin said I must stop joking, if I want to score 15 goals I must go to Venda.
“But I told him that I believe I can do it. And I did it, I actually scored 16 and it was through the grace of God.”
Mhango also netted once in the Telkom Knockout with the goal coming in the Soweto Derby encounter against Chiefs in November 2019.
The 28-year-old player shared the Golden Boot award with then-Highlands Park striker Peter Shalulile, who also found the back of the net 16 times in the 2019/20 season and he moved to Mamelodi Sundowns in September 2020.
Nicknamed Gabadinho, Mhango has scored 53 goals across all competitions since he arrived in South Africa in 2013 having turned out for Bloemfontein Celtic, before moving to Lamontville Golden Arrows in 2015.
A move to Wits followed in 2016 and Gabadinho was the team's top scorer as they clinched a league and cup (MTN8) double in his debut season with the club.
Mhango has scored once in four competitive matches for Pirates this term.