Mamelodi Sundowns manager Rulani Mokwena admits he knows dips in form will be part of the development process of their explosive talent once it emerge
Mamelodi Sundowns manager Rulani Mokwena admits he knows dips in form will be part of the development process of their explosive talent once it emerges at the club.
Cassius Maulila, 21, enjoyed an incredible first season with the first team, making his debut for Bafana Bafana and being one of the favorites for Premier Soccer League Young Player of the Season – and a contender for Player of the Season “. . .
Several other talents also made their debuts; Siyanda Nyanga, Ntando Nkosi, Thando Buthelezi, Jérôme Karelse and Siyabonga Mabena, the latter is still in 10th grade and is only 16 years old.
With nine league goals, he is one of Lesley Manyathela's Golden Boot contenders but his recent weaknesses and slump in performance are reflected in his incredible start to life at Masandwana, something the technical team is keen to overcome. Mokwen insisted.
"It's funny, again you might think he's joking, but I spoke to him and showed him clips of his previous performance and he said I had to go barefoot," Mokwena said during an audition against Stellenbosch. .
"He said, he said I have to walk barefoot, he said it, it's true - you have to get along with the young people, unfortunately you pay the tuition, you know you're paying the tuition, they're just learning from their mistakes
"And they will get better which should be a boon to them if you look at Mkhulise for example he was loaned out to the Black Leopards to play and learn, look at Percy he must have been on loan to take his minutes and learn
Mokwena went on to say that this pool of young talent would benefit more from being in and around Masandwana's all-star squad than previous talent who were loaned out to cutting their teeth at a lower level before returning to fight for their place on the team
"They are very lucky and privileged and should never forget that they are already learning from the best... and again I try very hard to to keep my words and not misinterpret me," he said.
"Speaking about more loans... What I'm trying to say is the privilege of training with Themba Zwane and Marcelo Allende and the privilege of training more against Denis Onyango and Ronwen Williams...
"This is something for a 16-year-old, 17-year-old... I would do anything for that - so yes, they're going to grow up, they're going to come into this space, we're going to educate them and help them to keep getting better.
In total, Mailula has scored 14 goals and provided four assists in 25 games in all competitions this season while chasing a historic hat-trick.
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