Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has revealed the qualities that make Bathusi Aubaas stand out from the rest of SA midfielders, including PSL Footballer of the Season Teboho Mokoena.
Broos included Aubaas in his 23-man squad to do battle with the 2022 FIFA World Cup semi-finals Morocco in an AFCON qualifier.
The game set to be staged at FNB Stadium on 17 June is deemed as a dead rubber as both teams have qualified for the AFCON tournament from Group K.
TS Galaxy midfielder, Aubaas and Thapelo Maseko of SuperSport United are the only new additions to Broos’ squad that sealed qualification against Liberia in March.
Aubaas replaced Siphephelo ‘Yaya’ Sithole, who is suspended for the upcoming tie. Meanwhile, Maseko took the spot of Burnley star Lyle Forster who recently started pre-season with the Clarets after the club gained promotion to the Premier League.
With that said, Broos said he selected the 28-year-old Galaxy star as he adds a new different dimension to Bafana.
HUGO BROOS DETAILS BATHUSI AUBAAS SELECTION
“I think Bathusi Aubaas has something that the other players don’t have,” said Broos.
“He is kind of aggressive, he is a guy when he is making duels, you feel him. He is also a good player, and he is one who can be offensive, so he can come from the midfield and be in the box. [Teboho] Mokoena can do that also, but he is not the same type of player.
“So we are always looking for something in midfield and like before it was [Mothobi] Mvala, he was also in there. With Mokoena, [Njabulo] Blom, even Blom is good in defence, but you see, Bathusi is another player,” added the Bafana coach.
Aubaas, in the just-ended season, featured in 26 games for Galaxy, playing a vital role in the midfield as his side finished 10th in the DStv Premiership.
His good performances at Galaxy didn’t only impress Broos but also reportedly caught the eye of Orlando Pirates. As stated by FARPost, Pirates is facing the challenge of Sekhukhune United for Aubaas’ signature.
“In his last game for Galaxy, he was good,” added Broos. “He has been out of the team for certain moments but came back.
“So I think I have to give him the chance again, and I was very happy with his performance in the pre-camp; therefore, I took him, and he stayed with us for the game against Morocco.”
The 2023 AFCON in Ivory Coast will take place between January and February 2024
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