Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has explained why he opted to start Cemran Dansin in his side’s massive Betway Premiership clash against champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
Dansin, 20, started ahead of the likes of Patrick Maswanganyi and Sipho Mbule, and after a period of adapting to the speed of the game, repaid the coach’s faith with a wonder goal to equalise.
After the final whistle, iDiski Times asked Ouaddou what he has seen in training to justify his selection of the youngster, with the coach explaining Dansin has shown incredible talent and it was a “fantastic opportunity” to show everyone what he is capable of.
“I know some coaches are scared to give chances to the young because they are scared about their position – if they lose, they can be sacked,” Ouaddou stated.
“But as an ex-football player, I got the chance to play at the age of 18 years old… I’ve seen a fantastic potential in that player since the pre-season.
“We decided to bring him to Spain with us, and he showed us fantastic quality during the friendly games. But at the same time, I told you I’ve worked for seven years in the development in France, you have to be careful not to burn this kind of potential. So have to bring them step by step.
“You have seen that I give sometimes, 15, 20, 30 minutes, sometimes 60 minutes just to make him comfortable and I thought it was the right moment for him today against one of the best teams in the continent and throw him in the bath.
“It’s like a bird – if you don’t give him the opportunity to fly you have to throw him from the tree and that’s what I did. We need to put him and give him experience.
“I think it’s a fantastic opportunity for him to show against Mamelodi Sundowns what he’s able to do. Of course, he still needs to work. If he was perfect, we would say that he is a Messi.
“But he still needs to work and improve him to be one of the best players in South Africa.”
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