Beganovic: Ndamane’s Sundowns transfer accelerated his rise, says former coach

Former TS Galaxy coach Adnan Beganovic has described Khulumani Ndamane as a “diamond” and says the defender’s move to Mamelodi Sundowns represented “a couple of steps forward” in his career.

Ndamane joined Sundowns in January after impressing for Galaxy, where Beganovic worked closely with him. Since then, he has progressed to the international stage, representing Bafana Bafana at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the FIFA World Cup.

The defender is now part of Pitso Mosimane’s Bafana squad and could feature against Egypt in an international friendly this weekend, depending on the coach’s selection.

Beganovic said Ndamane’s ability was clear from his first training sessions with Galaxy.

“When I saw him for the first time in our training sessions, I immediately said that he had special talent. He has something that other players don’t have. It is easy to see,” Beganovic told Soccer Laduma.

“He has a beautiful pass between the lines and can break one or two lines easily. He can play that pass naturally. He also has a beautiful long ball and can switch the play like a sniper. He has those skills.”

‘He reads the game’

The Bosnian coach believes Ndamane’s main strength is not his pace, but his understanding of the game and his ability to anticipate what will happen before a situation develops.

“His strength is not his speed. His strength is how he reads the game. He can predict situations before they happen on the field and position himself so that he can react better,” Beganovic explained.

He also praised the defender’s influence on and off the ball, saying Ndamane’s departure had been a significant setback for TS Galaxy.

“He thinks a lot about the game. He is also a real leader on the field. He plays with heart and always wants to win, even in training,” Beganovic said.

“His move to Sundowns was beautiful for him. It was a couple of steps forward, although it was a big loss for us at TS Galaxy.”

Beganovic said Ndamane had been central to Galaxy’s defensive organisation.

“He was our diamond. He helped keep the defensive line together. He was a leader at the back, he worked a lot and communicated a lot.”

The former Galaxy coach added that the team struggled to replace Ndamane after his departure, particularly during a difficult period in which they collected only two points from nine games.

“When we lost him, we felt it. After that, we had that difficult run where we collected only two points from nine games,” he said.

“For me, the main problem was that we could not find enough good players to replace him properly at that time.”

Beganovic believes Ndamane earned his Bafana Bafana call-up and has the ability to continue progressing at the highest level.

“I think he deserved his national team call-up. He took the opportunity and played well in the qualifiers before going to the World Cup.”

In Soccer Laduma edition 1494, Beganovic also discusses his time at TS Galaxy, his departure, his relationship with chairman Tim Sukazi, the club’s player-development model and his future in coaching.

He also addresses recent links with Richards Bay, the possibility of returning to TS Galaxy and the opportunities that have emerged since leaving the Rockets.