Tembo lauds his young stars
ACADEMY: PART OF CLUB MANDATE IS TO BLOOD KIDS
No one is more proud of Sipho Mbule and Teboho Mokoena than their SuperSport United coach Kaitano Tembo. The duo were among the stars that shone bright in the Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations where the junior national team qualified to take part in the Olympics next year in Tokyo.
Part of Matsatsantsa A Pitori’s mandate is to breed new blood into the senior team from their famed academy and Tembo has been carrying out that mandate quite well.
“We are very proud of Mbule and Mokoena. These are youngsters who play regularly for us and we have thrown them in at the deep end. They are 21 and 22-years-old but they are important to us and when they are not there we worry,” said Tembo.
“We are very happy that they have gone on to represent the country well and go to the Olympics and that makes us proud as a team. We are trying to give our youngsters the opportunity to develop and further their careers. Luke Fleurs at centre-back is 19 years old and there is also Jamie Webber so we are trying to give our youngsters this platform,” Tembo added as he looks forward to tonight’s Absa Premiership clash with Stellenbosch in Atteridgeville.
Mbule has been a revelation this season but Tembo feels it is a bit premature to suggest that he might be the Footballer of the Season or Young Player of the
Season. He says the 21-year-old will need to be consistent and he must continue where he leaves off against Stellies tonight.
“It is game-by-game and it is still too early, we have only played 12 games. He has been doing well but you are as good as your last game. He has to look forward ... and be consistent. Maybe when there are five games to go then we can look at how many goals he has created and how many goals he has scored and only then can we really start talking about it,” added the coach.