Mamelodi Sundowns' coach Manqoba Mngqithi explained how the managing of Hlompho Kekana will be greatly beneficial for the team in the long run.
The Brazilians sit top of the DStv Premiership log standings, currently on an unbeaten run and enjoying fruitful form.
However, Manqoba believes that the team can be taken to the next level and a plan is in the works to manage Kekana and keep him fresh so that when the time is right to lead the way forward, he will do it in his best form.
Kekana has been instrumental to Sundowns' success over the years, though now at the age of 35, extra attention needs to be given to managing the player's legs.
The midfielder has so far made six appearances for the Brazilians in all competitions, though only started in four of them.
"We have won many trophies with him, I think 11 of them. He is a machine and he works very hard. Others are looking at him, those who are not playing at the moment. They think maybe he reached his sell-by date," Mngqithi told the media.
"But we know what we are doing. We are trying to freshen him up because we know at a certain point in the league he is going to be very important for us. When that time comes, he must be very fresh because if you check in the past few seasons, he has been playing almost all the matches. At the moment, when you look at him in training, he is beginning to come back to the level that we all know and one is just hopeful that come December and January, the skipper is as fresh as anyone would imagine.
"And from there he would have to take over his leadership and lead the team forward and we know, I have no doubt in my mind that he's got the capacity to take us to the next level but we are managing it the right way, it may be shrewd from someone who is looking at it from outside, but rest assured, at the end of the day, everybody will celebrate what we are trying to do because the boy is a helluva good professional, no coach will say - I have got an issue with Hlompho."
View the list of players who parted ways with Sundowns this year!
