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Bleak season for Zimbabwe's Diaspora talent

Zimbabwe has long cherished the possibility of embellishing its player resources through talent from the swelling diaspora community, where some promising stars are already emerging, especially in England.

Colchester United forward Macauley Bonne made his debut for the Warriors in a friendly international against Morocco in 2014, while Burnley right-back Tendai Darikwa was reportedly keen to be part of Calisto Pasuwa's contingent at the Gabon Nations Cup finals in January.

Everton's Brendon Galloway has been a highlycoveted target for the Warriors and Ipswich Town midfielder Kundai Benyu's development is also being keenly followed.

Below is a closer look at how some of these players have fared in the current season at their respective clubs.

Tendai Darikwa

By far the best-known name among Zimbabwe's diaspora contingent, Darikwa's progression has taken a huge step backwards this season as he found himself frozen out of first team action at Burnley.

In truth though, the 25-year-old's woes started well before Burnley's promotion to the English Premier League, when he lost out to Mathew Lowton in the battle for the team's right-back slot midway through the 2015/16 season.

Things have gotten worse since then and Darikwa, once a reported target of some of the EPL's big hitters, could well end the season without a single minute of league action.

Darikwa has in the past expressed an interest in turning out for Zimbabwe and could make his international bow during the forthcoming Nations Cup qualifiers.

Yet he might need to find a new home soon, where he can enjoy some regular football and regain match fitness if the Warriors are to fully benefit from his recruitment.

Brendon Galloway

Everton starlet Brendon Galloway has not been too keen to pledge his international allegiance to Zimbabwe, yet his mounting club woes could well turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the country of his birth.

Born in Harare before moving to England at age six, Galloway has played for the England U-21 side and was undoubtedly entertaining hopes of eventually making it all the way to the senior team.

Such aspirations presently look anything but realistic however and not least because he is enduring a particularly dismal spell after being forced to return to his parent club prematurely in January following the termination of a loan deal at West Bromwich Albion.

Galloway had managed just three appearances for the Baggies, whose manager Tony Pulis ran out of patience and decided that solutions to his team's left-back predicament lay elsewhere.

A purported switch to Derby County for another loan spell failed to materialise and the 21-year-old has since been restricted to the Everton U-23s since then.

Many will be forgiven for wondering if this is the same player who looked destined for a great future just last term, making 14 league appearances for Everton and impressing with his tenacity and dynamism.

The upside for Zimbabwe though is that as his England prospects recede, Galloway might well be more inclined to seriously consider an international career with the Warriors.

Macauley Bonne

A lot has been said about 21-year-old Bonne locally, but the fact on the ground is that he is yet to justify the hype at English League Two side Colchester.

Bonne has barely missed an opportunity to express his love for the Warriors and was quick to jump on the plane when called up for a friendly international away to Morocco three years ago.

His club career has stalled since then, although new Warriors manager Wellington Mupandare this week told the local media that the attacker is being considered for another call-up ahead of the Nations Cup qualifier at home to Liberia next month.

Bonne made just 10 substitute appearances for Colchester this season, scoring once. In all, he has scored a total of seven goals since making his senior debut during the 2013/14 season.

Clearly, loan spells to lower league sides Lincoln City and Woking during the just-ended campaign have failed to spark the kind of revival Colchester officials may have been hoping for.

Kundai Benyu

Ipswich Town midfielder Benyu has enjoyed a relatively successful spell on loan to Aldershot Town in the National League, scoring five goals in 22 starts.

Benyu was drafted into the Ipswich first team in 2015, making the bench in March of the same year at the age of 16.He is yet to play for the Championship side though, and admitted last November that his attitude had often held him back.

"It's my fault really," Benyu told the local media last November. "I had an attitude problem which put the Gaffer off using me but I have apologised and we are on good terms again so it's all good now."

Ipswich manager Mick McCarthy recently indicated that Benyu would soon be rewarded with a new contract.

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