They don't come more versatile than Rivaldo Coetzee in modern-day football, and with that in mind, Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Manqoba Mngqithi has hinted towards a more prominent role for the former Ajax Cape Town man.
The 27-year-old featured just 15 times for Sundowns in the league last season and 29 times across all competitions, a major improvement from the five appearances made the campaign prior.
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Coetzee also got the nod to start in the Tshwane giants' first competitive match of the season against Polokwane City in the MTN8, which ended in a 1-0 win.
That nod from the technical team could be a sign of what's expected to be a key role for the utility player, especially if Mngqithi's post-match comments are nothing to go by. The coach described Coetzee as a player who 'should not be outside the pitch no matter what' when answering questions from journalists on his performance.
"If you remember very well, I was the one that advised coach Pitso [Mosimane] that we should use him in the midfield," recalls Mngqithi.
"To me, he's that player that should not be outside the pitch no matter what. He's got so much that he offers. As a centre-back, he's very good, but obviously, there are games where you might be looking for something different, and he might give you something in the midfield.
"So, I'm trying my best to make sure every player at least has two positions so that we don't have the pressure of moving people around.
"Like against Polokwane City, Neo [Maema] ended up playing as a fullback, but it's something we have practised because we want them to know.
"Sometimes, when we want more offensive play, we could have easily played Mosa [Lebusa] at left-back and brought in Grant [Kekana] earlier, but we still had to chase the game; we still had to get something out of the game. That's why we used Neo in that space.
"But the truth of the matter is almost every player we have, we're trying our best to give him the second position. Probably, it's only goalkeepers that are safe."The Brazilians exercised the one-year option they had on Coetzee's contract, after the deal expired in June, and this promises to be a big season for a hugely talented player.