Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter has offered some assurance to an Orlando Pirates midfielder of his chances of making it to the Africa Cup of Nations.
Pirates' workhorse Ben Motshwari is currently on his maiden Bafana camp after being named amongst the 28-man provisional AFCON squad.
The 28-year-old has burst onto the international scene after his first season at The Buccaneers, where he managed to cement his place in the heart of midfielder under Milutin Sredojevic.
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The former Bidvest Wits man is now vying for a place in the final 23-man squad set to be named on Sunday, and Baxter has assured that his lack of experience does not necessarily mean that he'll be left behind.
"In a logical world, I'd say yes [his first camp is an issue]. I mean, if someone's there for the first time, obviously it's a slight disadvantage," said Baxter, before clarifying his stance.
"People that have played 10 international games with me, I know them, I can trust them, and so you'd think so. But, again, I'm trying to have an open mind, and Ben's done okay.
"I think, first of all, I said to all the boys, 'First of all, you've got to pat yourselves on the back, knowing that you've been selected for this squad to go to an AFCON.
"'Everyone here, you're, in my opinion, the best for the job. So, already there you should pat yourself on the back. Now, if you're on the plane [to Egypt], that's a bonus.
"But a player like Ben, I hope that he sees getting into this squad as a massive step forward for him."
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Should Motshwari make the cut, he will not be the only AFCON debutant but will be joined by no less than 16 newbies to the continental showpiece.
Only Darren Keet, Thulani Hlatshwayo, Dean Furman, Bongani Zungu, Sibusiso Vilakazi and Themba Zwane were part of the 2015 squad from Equatorial Guinea, while Thulani Serero and Furman are the only remaining figures from 2013 on home soil.
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