The performances of Orlando Pirates teenager Mbekezeli Mbokazi have not gone unnoticed by Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos.
Mbokazi has been a revelation for Pirates making his debut in topflight football. He has made five appearances, collecting two Man of the Match awards and scoring a single goal.
The latest display of a player Pirates head coach described as 'difficult to find' was in a 1-0 victory over Algerian giants MC Alger in the first leg of the CAF Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday.
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These performances have landed on the radar of national team coach Broos, who has made it no secret he intends to begin bringing in a more youthful defence ahead of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations and 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Before that, Mbokazi is expected to be part of South Africa's U20 side that will head to the AFCON in Morocco in April.
"I will try to watch a few of their games when they play AFCON if possible. But again, this is U20, so maybe it is too soon," said the Belgian in mid-March, during his squad announcement.
"But there are players. We spoke about (Khulumani) Ndamane, we spoke about the defender of Pirates, the left-footed centre-back, the young one. Mbokazi, yes. There are other players who are on the list. (Thabo) Moloisane is on the list.
"So, yes, we want to do it (introduce younger players), but we can't do it now. So, I will use the friendlies in June to call those players and leave out as many of the regulars as possible," explained Broos.
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Rushwin Dortley, Ndamane, Thabiso Sesane and Malibongwe Khoza are all expected to be possible additions to Bafana ahead of the continental showpiece at the end of the year.
Broos' men will possibly play against Tanzania and Namibia in two friendly matches in June.