Mamelodi Sundowns first team coach Steve Komphela has reacted to the debut of the club’s DStv Diski Challenge star Ofentse ‘Pogba’ Mashiane.
The right-back made his debut in Sundowns senior debut in his side’s 3-2 win at Royal AM on Monday.
He became the first U23 player Masandawana gave a runout this season and earned laurels from Komphela for his cameo of the bench.
“Sheeeem! They suffocated The Young Pogba,” Komphela said on social media.
“He was thrown in the deep end to swim and he came through. His opportunity came at the back of others’ setbacks(flu outbreak).
“Blessings and burdens are cousins. ‘Ha a re wa e tshwara, ba hodimo hae’.”
How special is this guy? 👆@komphelasteve always dropping gems 💎#DStvPrem #BazozwiDiski pic.twitter.com/6mH3kPHM4E
— BabizeBonke_ZA (@BabizeBonke_ZA) May 24, 2022
Mashiane was the only U23 player featuring for Sundowns in the DStv Premiership this season after previously being the only side to not field any player younger than 23 in the league, as Rob Delport pointed out in his ‘Where The Future Lies’ feature in iDiski Times, edition 53.
Sundowns’ youngest players in the league this season before Mashiane were both 25, namely Rivaldo Coetzee and Teboho Mokoena.
The only other player younger than that in their first-team squad, was Promise Mkhuma, who turned 22 today, but he failed to get game time in the league in 2021/22.
He only featured for 25 minutes in Downs’ 5-0 win over Summerfields in the Nedbank Cup quarter-final and has made 23 first-team appearances overall for the club after being promoted three seasons ago.
