Soccer-Free-scoring Mushekwi relishing Djurgarden stint

(Removes garble in headline) By Philip O'Connor STOCKHOLM, May 24 (Reuters) - Nine matches into the Swedish season Zimbabwean striker Nyasha Mushekwi has not only shrugged off his relative obscurity but powered Djurgarden into third place ahead of Monday's Stockholm derby against AIK. Despite his 10 international caps, the 27-year-old was a virtual unknown when he arrived in Sweden on a six-month loan from South African club Mamelodi Sundowns. Not anymore, after notching nine goals in as many games to become the top scorer this season. "As a footballer you're always going to get moved around, you've got to keep pushing, keep working," the forward told Reuters in an interview. "Even if I wasn't here I'd be playing somewhere else, trying my level best, but slowly but surely, it's all coming right." Having suffered an injury during a relatively barren spell that featured just two league goals in 20 games for Belgian side KV Oostende, the Zimbabwean returned to South Africa in late 2014 to find the five squad places available to foreign players already filled. The search for a new club took him to Denmark and Qatar but no club was willing to put pen to paper. Meanwhile, after several seasons of mid-table mediocrity in Sweden, Djurgarden sporting director Bo Andersson was looking for a goal-scorer and signed Mushekwi on a six-month loan deal just a few days before the Allsvenskan kicked off. Mushekwi, who has also played basketball for his country, began to repay the faith of Andersson and Djurgarden almost immediately and propelled his side to third on 19 points, three behind leaders IFK Gothenburg. So far the ever-smiling attacker is loving his new home in Sweden. "You have to try and stay positive, to try and be professional if you want to achieve something as a footballer. It (moving) doesn't have to affect your game," he said as Djurgarden ended their final public training session before the derby. "The football here is almost the same as in Belgium, it's quite physical, whereas in Africa it's more ball movement. But football is football, it's all one language." The derby against AIK will be his second in the Swedish capital, having played in his side's 2-1 loss to Hammarby in front of a packed Tele2 Arena. Though AIK's early-season form has cooled, Mushekwi will not be underestimating his new city rivals. "Derbies are always tricky. Just because AIK lost their last game (3-0 away to Gothenburg) you can't say they're done. "It's going to be a big game. They've played more recently in the league so they'll have less time to rest, but I'm sure they're going to be up for the challenge." His performances in Sweden have already caught the eye of several scouts from bigger European leagues, but for now Mushekwi is happy and not thinking where his career takes him. "That's a question for Mister Bo!" he laughs, waving to the sporting director who helped him put his career back on track. (Editing by Amlan Chakraborty; Editing by Douglas Beattie)