Mosimane sees Ndlovu as a direct winger in Maseko mould

Bafana Bafana head coach Pitso Mosimane has compared Siyanda Ndlovu with Thapelo Maseko, praising the two attackers for their direct approach and focus on producing goals and assists.

Mosimane included 22-year-old Ndlovu in his final squad for South Africa’s back-to-back 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Kenya this month, despite the Mamelodi Sundowns player not featuring in the preliminary selection.

The call-up is the first senior international invitation for “Skwishi”, who joined Mamelodi Sundowns this season and has impressed during his early spell with the club.

Mosimane said Ndlovu’s recent performances showed the qualities he wanted from a wide player, particularly his willingness to attack opponents, enter the penalty area and deliver an end product.

“If you look at his last four games, he came out with the two Man of the Match awards, scoring and assisting,” said Mosimane.

“He is a deliberate player, a little bit of a duplicate to Thapelo Maseko. I like those wingers. Some people like wingers who turn around and turn around. I like that. Go inside one v one, go behind and go past, bring the ball into the box, let’s tap it in.”

Mosimane said he values wingers who play with clear purpose and expects them to contribute to the scoreline as well as create opportunities for team-mates.

“Those are my kind of wingers. You know why? Because it’s business. It’s deliberate. And do you score? Of course you must score also. You can’t tell us about assists and you don’t score, right?”

Although Ndlovu has earned recognition for his form at club level, Mosimane stressed that the player must still prove he can make the step up to international football.

“He is that kind of player who has intensity, but we still have to check him in the national team because the national team is not the same level as club level,” he said.

“We have to check him also in the national team. How is he? Can he fit in?”

Maseko is currently injured, while Mosimane said the lack of friendly matches before the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations finals meant he had limited opportunities to assess emerging players.

“Thapelo is injured. We need to create a big pool of players. We don’t have time,” he said.

“I’m not like Rassie [Erasmus], who can say I’m taking the England tour, I’m taking the Australian tour, what tour. I don’t have that. I have to follow what FIFA gives me. At the moment there are no friendly games until the finals.”

Mosimane said bringing players into camp allowed him to work with them directly and judge whether they could adapt to his system.

“When we bring you, it doesn’t mean you’re going to play. We acknowledge that you’re doing well. We want to see if you can fit into the set-up,” he added.