Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena has explained why club legends such as Godfrey Sapula and Isaac Shai are important for the progression of the team.
Despite going into the market to bring in some of the biggest names in South African football, Sundowns can be credited for giving young players from their youth system a chance to shine in the first team.
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There are those who have been fortunate enough to make a success of their careers at Sundowns, such as Percy Tau and the late Motjeka Madisha, and there is hope that Cassius Mailula will follow in their footsteps.
Mokwena gave credit to the likes of Sapula, Shai, Michael Manzini and Surprise Moriri for playing an important role in the development of players at the club.
"Look, firstly, we have to give credit to the club in the way of investing so much in youth. The resources that the Motsepe family and Mamelodi Sundowns pour into youth development is one that shows the way the club is run from a selfless perspective," Mokwena said to media over the weekend after the club's success in the Carling Black Label Cup.
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"To take sole responsibility for seeing these young boys will be a bit of an unfair acceptance from my side. If you look at it, there is a lot of work done behind the scenes now with the new sporting director Flemming (Berg), who now works to try to put together the different parts of the club, which includes scouting and youth development. And, of course, there is a lot of work done by the youth coaches – David Notoane, Surprise Moriri, Godfrey Sapula, Isaac Shai, Michael Manzini. These guys were all superstars and served this club with aplomb. People like Shawn Bishop and Sam Mbatha… These are people who deserve more credit for what you see from these youngsters."
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