Former Mamelodi Sundowns frontman Rodney Ramagalela has made a bold prediction about the club’s new head coach, Manqoba Mngqithi, for the 2024/25 season.
Mngqithi, who was the assistant coach last season, took over the reins with his new technical team following the shock departure of Rulani Mokwena, who has found a new home at the Moroccan giants Wydad Casablanca.
The new Sundowns coach will be assisted by Romain Folz, Steve Komphela, Wendell Robinson, and Kennedy Mweene.
Ramagalela, who had a below-par stint at Sundowns between 2013 and 2016, believes that Mngqithi has all the qualities to lead the Tshwane giants to even greater heights.
The former Golden Arrows mentor, Mngqithi, has been with ‘The Brazilians’ for 10 years since he first joined as an assistant coach.
Mngqithi started his tenure as the sole head coach in the new season with a 1-0 win over Polokwane City FC in the MTN8 quarter-final encounter at Lucas Moripe Stadium over the weekend. Masandawana will now face Stellenbosch FC in the MTN8 semi-finals, and hoping to go all the way to the finals.
RODNEY RAMAGALELA PUT HIS TRUST IN COACH MANQOBA MNGQITHI
Ramagalela believes that the coaching changes don’t affect the team that much since they are only “changes on paper.”
“Look, it’s only the changes on paper because we are talking about coach Manqoba Mngqithi, who has been there for ages. The only change or difference now is that he is the head coach,” Ramagalela told FARPost.
“Also, coach Steve Komphela was there, so I don’t see any changes in the Sundowns team. It’s only what we are reading on paper.
“Sundowns is still the same, and I believe that they still have what it takes to win games.”
Ramagalela further added: “He [Mngqithi] has done it before, and I have worked with him before. I know what he can do. I believe he will carry on where coach Rulani [Mokwena] left off. They still have the majority of all the players who were there last season. Sundowns are still going to dominate.”
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