Ajax shared third place at the pre-season event following a 1-1 draw with SuperSport United on Sunday afternoon, with Travis Graham finding a late equaliser to cancel out Thuso Phala’s first-half goal.
The Urban Warriors lost 4-2 on penalties to Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon after a 2-2 stalemate in the semi-finals on Friday night.
De Sa fielded a number of his younger players in Sunday’s encounter, and was happy to be able to give his youngsters a chance to feature in competitive first team action throughout the spectacle.
“I’m happy with the whole tournament,” he told reporters. “The whole weekend was good for us. Obviously today we tried to give everyone a run, so we got enough time to assess everyone, and we rested some others that we worried about over injuries. But at least we gave everyone a run, so we are happy about that.”
De Sa believes the tournament has helped his side immensely in their preparations for the upcoming season, with just over a week until their clash with Pirates on August 4.
“I think we are looking pretty good, and are pretty ready,” he said. “I know we have a tough one against Pirates, our first game - it’s going to be difficult for us, but I think we’re getting closer and closer to being ready.
“And if we get another one or two more players, I think we’ll hopefully be stronger than we were last season.”
Following their meeting with Bucs, Ajax stay in Gauteng for their first League fixture against Bidvest Wits on August 8.