Percy Tau said he will continue fighting to be a regular fixture at Brighton & Hove Albion despite his lack of game time.
The 27-year-old played just three Premier League matches with the first two coming in January before he eventually returned to action against West Ham United on May 15 where he even contributed an assist that earned Brighton a 1-1 draw.
Since he moved to England from Mamelodi Sundowns in July 2018, Tau has been sent on loan to three Belgian clubs and he is not thinking of leaving the Seagulls for another temporary stint after his maiden Premier League season.
“I don’t think anyone is thinking of that (a loan deal) at this stage. It has been six months that I’ve been at Brighton. And if they were to loan me out, it would be based on what exactly? I didn’t play enough. I am looking to fight for my position,” Tau was quoted by IOL.
“We are still on the same page with the club. They still want me to stay and play. And I also want to fight for my position. You know what they say, they say you want to see the future. As things stand at the moment, we are both on agreement terms.”
Tau is in line to be on international assignment this summer at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, he has been named in South Africa's 30-man provisional squad.
The Bafana Bafana talisman sees his inclusion in the U23 set-up as a responsibility to guide the country to victory.
“I think we’ll take the responsibility well because there’s many of us that can handle it. I am sure that there are young players that will want to take the responsibility because there are tournaments that will want them to be responsible,” he added.
“It’s going to be challenging because some of us don’t enjoy being leaders or always talking. But now, there’s no one and we’ll be forced to talk and lead, but we’ll see how it goes. I came home to rest but the programme is tight and there’s a lot to do.”
South Africa are in Group A of the men's football competition and they are drawn against hosts Japan, Mexico and France.