A section of South Africans hoped to see youngster Shandre Campbell of Club Brugge make the Bafana Bafana squad for the upcoming 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Benin respectively.
The 19-year-old former SuperSport United winger was signed by the Belgian outfit and he was fixed at Club NXT where he settled quickly and showed his quality. In the 16 Belgian Challenger Pro League games played, Campbell scored seven goals.
He made his debut for the senior team, and was even included in the matchday squad for the Uefa Champions League's Round of 16 game against Aston Villa.
It explains why fans felt the youngster deserved a chance with the national team. While Hugo Broos has conceded Campbell is a huge talent, he has revealed his discussion with Club Brugges's head of the reserve team Guillian Preud’homme, and why the teenager was excluded from the forthcoming transfer window.
‘Campbell is coming up [step-by-step]’
“This is someone, if I think about young players and the list we have, looking about the future of Bafana, this is someone who is on the list, I heard very positive things about Campbell in Brugge,” he told the media.
“In November I was in Brugge – the Head of Youth, he came to me and he was very happy and said he is close to the first-team, a few times on the bench, made his debut, so there are bringing him in [step by step].
“It shows a good team who knows how to bring in a player, they know how to give him the right information before he gets into the first team. I think by the end of this season or by next season who will get chances in Brugge. With his capacities and qualities, I think we will have a very good, young talented player,” Broos concluded.
