It was striking in the Brussels derby (2-2) of the RSCA Futures against RWDM: Majeed Ashimeru was suddenly allowed to come on for Anderlecht in the last half hour. The Ghanaian midfielder was on the sidelines for months and trained with the B team, because he has to leave.
Ashimeru was expelled from the first team last summer, together with Thomas Foket, Mats Rits and Alexis Flips. Since then he has only trained at the RSCA Futures and has not played in official competitions. His performance against RWDM was his first playing minutes of the season.
The fact that he was suddenly allowed to come on is all the more striking because Anderlecht still has plenty of options in midfield. It is therefore not immediately clear why Jelle Coen chose Ashimeru.
Want to put Ashimeru in the spotlight again?
The timing seems striking: just when some players may leave for the Africa Cup and the pool may be getting thin. Yet Hasi previously had enough alternatives in the first team to occupy the midfield without the excluded Ashimeru.
This raises the question of whether this raid was purely sporting or whether there is another motive. Anderlecht may want to show Ashimeru again to interested clubs, so that a transfer can be completed in January.
His comeback therefore remains a mystery: a player who was sidelined for months is suddenly allowed to play minutes in an important derby. It remains to be seen whether this will remain a one-off or whether Ashimeru will come into action more often.
