Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena has detailed why new signing Thapelo Maseko is the biggest investment for the club.
Sundowns signed Maseko from SuperSport United on a long-term deal ahead of the 2023/24 DStv Premiership season.
The highly-rated youngster joins a long list of players who have switched from SuperSport to Sundowns in recent times.
He follows Jeremy Brockie, Aubrey Modiba, Grant Kekana, Teboho Mokoena, Sipho Mbule and Ronwen Williams, who joined Sundowns from SuperSport.
Meanwhile, Maseko played a pivotal role last season as he helped SuperSport to finish third on the league table to qualify for the CAF Confederations Cup.
The left-footed winger featured in 25 games in all competitions for SuperSport and scored four goals while contributing two assists.
Maseko spent two seasons with the SuperSport first team after he was promoted from the club’s DStv Diski Challenge side at the start of the 2021/22 season.
RULANI MOKWENA OUTLINES QUALITIES THAPELO MASEKO BRINGS TO SUNDOWNS
The youngster, who also earned his maiden Bafana Bafana call-up, has been dubbed as the biggest investment for Sundowns.
“Thapelo Maseko is an incredible investment from two aspects; the age gives us the possibility to invest long term,” Mokwena said.
“At this moment last season, he was one of the best young players in the country and being short-listed in that space with Cassius Mailula.
“He also gives us good qualities from that other aspect, from a tactical perspective where he’s still very undefined.
“Also, he has very good weapons, skill, speed and a very good engine with the capacity to dominate the line.
“We saw it a lot at SuperSport last season. As I said, he’s still undefined from personality, responsibility and performance on the pitch.
“And as soon as we get that, we start profiling him in relation to the responsibility, the growth, and that moves us a bit close to positions that he can play.
“He can play as a left-back, left-midfield and left-wing and maybe even left-striker. These are the players I like a lot, players like [Siyabonga] Mabena, Maseko, Mailula.
“These are the players with capacity, and they give us responsibility as coaches to develop them.
“And Maseko gives us that possibility to probably show whether or not we are good coaches. He’s a player that’s already armed with natural ability.
“It’s up to us as coaches to help him to improve in certain areas but also to build and develop him.”
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