Ouaddou hails Masilela as one of the best young number 10s he has seen

Orlando Pirates head coach Ouaddou has praised Simphiwe Masilela as one of the finest young players he has encountered in the number 10 position after the midfielder impressed in the Buccaneers’ 3-0 Betway Premiership victory over TS Galaxy.

Masilela scored in the win at Orlando Stadium as Pirates comfortably defeated a struggling TS Galaxy side. His display came after he had also caught the eye during last weekend’s 2-0 defeat by Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN8 final, despite being introduced from the bench.

Ouaddou believes the 22-year-old has the ability and character to progress to the highest level.

“He has all the attributes, potential, and qualities to express himself at the highest level,” Ouaddou said. “I’ve seen a lot of young players in my life, and he is one of the best I’ve ever seen. He has a lot of humility and he has given me exactly what I expect from a no.10.”

The coach also pointed to Pirates’ defensive record after they recorded their seventh clean sheet in eight league matches this season.

That consistency has carried over from the run of clean sheets that helped Pirates win the league last season. Ouaddou said the foundation of their defensive strength was the discipline he had worked to establish within the squad over an extended period.

Pirates did, however, have concerns over Oswin Appollis, who was unable to complete the match and was stretched off in the 55th minute. Ouaddou said he suspected fatigue was a greater factor than a serious injury.

The club will continue to monitor the Bafana Bafana forward before an important CAF Champions League fixture against Namibia’s African Stars in Botswana this coming weekend.

New signing Bulelani Sigomoshe made his Pirates debut after joining from Milford FC. The right-back supplied the assist for Tshepang Moremi’s goal in the 50th minute, but was substituted shortly afterwards.

Ouaddou was pleased with Sigomoshe’s approach and said the player had earned the opportunity through his work in training.

“He spent some good time on the pitch, he has a fantastic mentality and if I can have all my players adopting that mental attitude then I’ll be a very happy coach,” he said. “He worked very well in training so we wanted to give him the opportunity to play today, and I really wanted to reward him because it’s not easy to adapt.”

Ouaddou also confirmed that Kamogelo Sebelebele remains under assessment after suffering an injury in the MTN8 final. The influential Bafana Bafana wing-back was replaced at half-time against Sundowns and was absent from the victory over TS Galaxy.

“He is still being assessed by the medical department, but we will have some more news on his injury soon enough,” Ouaddou said. “For the CAF Champions League, I know that I cannot use him.”