AS Vita Club head coach Florent Ibenge has admitted that Rwandan striker Ernest Sugira needs more time to settle down in his new environment.

The former AS Kigali striker failed to impress in the AS Kigali pre-season tournament scoring just once in five matches – his only goal came against SC Kiyovu in the 1-0 win in the semi-final.

The 25-year-old forward started the first two games against AS Kigali and APR FC but failed to find the back of the net and was substituted against Dauphins Noir.

Going into the semi-final against SC Kiyovu on Thursday, he scored the lone goal that separated both sides to see AS Vita through to the final where they were defeated 1-0 by the reigning Rwandan league champions APR FC on Saturday. 

"The pressure is on all players and more especially Sugira because fans expect a lot from him but let us give him more time to settle in. He is working hard, which is the most important aspect for any player, who joins a new club,” said Ibenge.

The DR Congo national team head coach added, "We have done well and scored some good goals in this competition, we have strikers to do the job but we thought we needed one that’s why we signed Sugira, so let’s give him time and not judge him too quickly. There are things he still needs to correct.”

The lanky Amavubi forward joined the Congolese outfit from AS Kigali on a two-year contract in a record Rwf102m transfer. Sugira made his Amavubi debut against Benin in 2013.

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