Kaizer Chiefs youngsters have been doing quite well this season despite the team's inconsistencies.
Amakhosi are seemingly out of the Premier Soccer League race after failing to stage any serious campaign in the Carling Knockout where they fell in the quarter-final against Mamelodi Sundowns. However, they have another chance to deliver silverware in the Nedbank Cup.
The Glamour Boys host third-tier outfit Free Agents on Sunday in the Round of 32 fixture to be staged at the FNB Stadium.
One of the youngsters who is expected to feature is Mduduzi Shabalala. The versatile midfielder has played 15 games already across all competitions with a return of four goals and two assists. Former Amakhosi defender Tefu Mashamaite is convinced Shabalala can be Chiefs' main man just like Relebohile Mofokeng at Orlando Pirates.
Just like Mofokeng, Shabalala can carry Chiefs
“I mean, like you see it at Pirates, you see it at Sundowns. So why not at Chiefs, why can’t a youngster like Mduduzi carry the team?” he told iDiski Times.
“[Relebohile] Mofokeng is carrying Pirates – we can argue for that. So, it’s just down to also the youngsters at Chiefs to also say, you know what if Pirates is doing it, if Sundowns is doing it, then why not us? You are no longer young enough to say, ‘No, I can’t carry that burden’. If things are not going well for the team, you raise your hand and you just stake a claim and you create a legacy for yourself.
“You might be remembered for being that youngster who carried the team when things were not going well. So just like throw your name in there. So, I feel like he’s got the potential, he’s shown that like, I can turn this team, and you just see the hunger in his eyes.
“I encourage those around him just to support him and to give him enough support to make sure that he rises to the level where he really can perform at his best,” Mashamaite concluded.
