Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena has hailed the signing of Thapelo Maseko, saying he is incredibly talented but also still raw and will show whether the Masandawana coaches can bring out the best of him to become the next SA player to move overseas.
Maseko, 20, joined Sundowns from SuperSport United this window, in what many believe was a massive financial outlay by the defending DStv Premiership champions.
Mokwena has explained that Maseko already offers the club a lot but he still needs to learn some tactical ropes before he can fully decide on the best position for the versatile youngster.
“[Thapelo] is an incredible investment from two aspects. The age gives us possibility to invest long term. At this moment last season, one of the best young players in the country and being shortlisted in that space with Cassius,” he told the club’s media team.
“He gives us also very good qualities, from that other aspect, from a technical perspective, where he’s still very undefined. He’s got very good weapons, speed, skill, and also a very good engine with the capacity to dominate the line. We saw it a lot at SuperSport last season.”
Maseko had an incredible breakthrough campaign under Gavin Hunt last season, scoring four goals and setting up two more in 25 appearances across all competitions. While Hunt mainly used him as left-wing or on the opposite flank, Mokwena indicated that he could feature in various positions at Chloorkop.
“But as I say, still very undefined from a personality, from responsibility and performance on the pitch. And as soon as we can get better, I think we can then start profiling him in relation to the responsibilities, and the roles we’d like for him.
“And then that moves them a little bit closer into which positions, which I see he can play, maybe left-back, left midfield, left wing, maybe even left striker, and maybe even right wing. So we have a bit of work in that space to try to still define him.
“And these are players that I like a lot. These players like [Siyabonga] Mabena, Thapelo and Cassius – the players that have the capacity and give us the responsibility as coaches to develop to build.
“And Thapelo gives us that possibility to probably show whether or not we are good coaches because he’s a player that’s already armed with a lot of natural and incredible natural ability.
“And then it’s up to us as coaches number one, to help him to improve in certain areas, but also to build him and develop him so that South Africa can produce probably one or another through Mamelodi Sundowns, another player that can possibly go in and play overseas.”
