Kekana ready to sit back for Oupa to shine
Downs skipper willing to resume anchor role
Mamelodi Sundowns skipper Hlompho Kekana has expressed a willingness to sacrifice himself and take the back seat in midfield to allow new teammate Oupa Manyisa to shine.
The Kekana of old used to play the anchor role but on his arrival, coach Pitso Mosimane transformed him into a more attacking threat.
In a regular Sundowns lineup, Kekana is played in a central midfield pairing where he is given leeway to push forward while his partner usually sits back in a holding position.
Before his departure, the versatile Bongani Zungu partnered with Kekana in midfield and he was followed by Tiyani Mabunda in the past two seasons.
With the more offensive Manyisa having joined a stacked Brazilians midfield from Orlando Pirates recently, Kekana is prepared to go back to the defensive midfield position.
Coach Mosimane will give supporters a first glimpse of the reinforced midfield against Maritzburg United in the MTN8 quarterfinal at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Sunday (3pm).
“Oupa is settling in very well and I am happy to see him enjoying his time with us and having a big smile in training. It shows we are really going to have a good season with him,” Kekana said.
“We have tried so many formations in our preparations. I am a player who always wants to play and be on the pitch all the time. I am ready for the responsibility that I will be given by the technical team.
“It will be important for us to carry [out] the instructions well, regardless of who plays. We always say at Sundowns that we put the team first.”
With the top-eight cup being the only silverware missing from Mosimane’s cabinet at Chloorkop, Sundowns will be hoping to go one better than last season, where they lost to Wits in the final.
“We learned last season that we need to be in good shape, we need to manage our squad very well and we are looking forward to winning the matches that we play.
“We have seen how they [Maritzburg] play, they can be dangerous, especially when they play away.”