Mamelodi Sundowns striker Iqraam Rayners has been applauded by his former teammate Andre de Jong for his immediate impact at the defending champions.
Following his move from Stellenbosch FC in August, Rayners hit the ground running as he has been scoring goals for coach Manqoba Mngqithi's team in different competitions this season.
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So far, the 28-year-old has netted seven times from eight matches across all competitions, and he also has an assist to his name.
Rayners is third on the charts in the Betway Premiership goal scorers' list with three goals behind teammate Lucas Ribeiro Costa and Orlando Pirates' Evidence Makgopa who are on four goals each.
The Cape Town-born player's three goals in the Carling Knockout have helped the Brazilians to the semi-finals, where they will be playing against Marumo Gallants in the Free State on Sunday.
"He was incredible for Stellies with his goalscoring record especially when he first arrived. Every time, honestly, when he took a shot, it was like he was going to find the back of the net, which in South Africa, obviously, is very tough to find. It's so nice to see him continuing that sort of streak at Sundowns," said De Jong, speaking exclusively to the Siya crew.
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"A lot of people, as you said, thought he might be on the bench and that sort of thing with their firepower, and I'm very glad that he has settled in so quickly and that he is on form there as well. It was really nice playing with him, his runs from behind were very effective, and I think a lot of people don't give him credit for his link up play. He can hold the ball up back to goal, and yeah, he is a very nice player to play with. He drops off the ball often and moves again which is hard to mark, and he brings other people into play quite nicely, which I obviously profited off," said De Jong.
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By Masebe Qina
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