MC Alger head coach Rulani Mokwena has weighed in on the exclusion of Thembinkosi Lorch from the Bafana Bafana squad, despite the highly rated attacker’s recent rich vein of form at Wydad Casablanca.
Lorch has been the most-talked-about player in the past few months after regaining his best form in the colours of Moroccan giants Wydad Athletic Club.
This comes after he joined Wydad on a permanent deal from Mamelodi Sundowns in the past transfer window to bring his career back on track after struggling for game time at the Tshwane giants.
Before penning a permanent deal with the Red Castle, Lorch spent the second round of the previous campaign with the club on loan from Sundowns under the guidance of Rulani Mokwena. During his loan spell with Wydad, Lorch produced a mouth-watering performance during the FIFA Club World Cup against big guns such as Manchester City FC and Juventus FC.
After making a permanent move to the Moroccan giants, the former Orlando Pirates star has had an impressive start to the season in the Botola Pro 1. Lorch has featured in nine appearances across all competitions and scored five goals with three assists to his name.
As a result of his best performance, Lorch has been tipped for a Bafana call-up; however, head coach Hugo Broos says the talented attacker’s age [32] is part of the reason he’s not included in his camp ahead of the 2025 AFCON in Morocco.
WHAT RULANI MOKWENA SAID ABOUT LORCH’S ABSENCE FROM BAFANA
Lorch’s former coach, Mokwena, has advised the player to look to Themba Zwane’s career as a prime example while awaiting his own return to the national team setup. Zwane initially faced significant hurdles breaking into the Bafana Bafana squad during the early days of Hugo Broos’ tenure.
After initially citing Zwane’s age, Broos eventually recalled the veteran midfielder due to his consistently good performances, famously stating that “a wise man changes his mind” and admitting he was wrong about ‘Mshishi’
“For Lorch, he just needs to look at Themba Zwane as a source of inspiration. Themba Zwane was in the same position,” Mokwena told SAFJA Journalists on Wednesday.
“I remember saying to ‘Mshishi’ that; ‘you have to be so good that it’s difficult to ignore you’. And that’s exactly what he did. Zwane was so good that even though the coach [Broos] at the time didn’t want him for reasons that we have to respect, and also to the credit of Hugo Broos, he mentioned that it was one of the things he got wrong.
“That means if he can rescind his opinion on Themba Zwane, I’m sure if Lorch continues this way [he will get a call up], I’m hearing good things about him from the Wydad president [Hicham Ait Menna] about his conduct, professionalism, and his performances.”
RELATED STORY: Rulani Mokwena weighs in on Mudau’s exclusion in Bafana squad