Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has provided his assessment of Orlando Pirates' rising star Relebohile Mofokeng following his recent stellar displays.
Broos named his final 23-man squad for upcoming friendlies against Andorra and Algeria to be played towards the end of March.
The squad includes as many as 10 new players who were not part Bafana's AFCON squad that returned from Ivory Coast with a bronze medal.
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A surprise omission has been that of excising youngster Mofokeng, who many South Africa football supporters felt deserved a nod, particularly in friendly matches.
In his second season since promotion, the teenager has made 24 appearances this season for the Buccaneers, scoring twice and providing three assists.
Relebohile Mofokeng, the future is bright here ??
— dEAR (@aey_dear) March 6, 2024
pic.twitter.com/zKsFMFPQIO
While the 19-year-old was not named in the squad, Broos admitted that he had been impressed with the youngster during Saturday's Soweto derby.
"There was a high intensity in the effort from the players in the derby," Broos said on SABC Sport on Monday.
"There was rhythm in the game, it was not a slow game. There was good football, good combinations, [from the] players on the wings
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"For me, another one I have to watch for the future is Mofokeng. This is a guy with potential.
"So, when you see that from a young guy from the team of Pirates and then you can only be happy as the coach of a national team because we saw what happened on the AFCON.
"Those were not boring games. From the first minute, everyone is playing like they're playing for their lives.
"They go for 100% and maybe more so and when you're not used to doing that in the PSL or in the local competition, it's very difficult to do that on that (AFCON) level and that's why we need to raise the level of PSL."
Bafana Bafana host Andorra on 21 March.
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