Mokotjo unfazed by fuss as he waits for Van Gaal’s move
daalsrus, has become the subject of intense interest in the Dutch press after his man-ofthe-match performance for unfashionable PEC Zwolle on Sunday as they again beat highly fancied Ajax Amsterdam to win a second piece of silverware in four moths.
Ajax coach Frank de Boer made it clear he wants the former SuperSport United product in his team’s ranks for the new season as a replacement for Daley Blind.
But the deal can only be done once Van Gaal and Manchester United make clear their intentions around utility player Blind, who was one of the Dutch stars of the World Cup and is a hot favourite to move to Old Trafford.
Once that deal happens, Ajax are poised to snap up Mokotjo, who has two caps for Bafana but was surprisingly last used by Gordon Igesund against Spain in November.
Even PEC have admitted Mokotjo is almost sure to leave the provincial club before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.
He will make PEC a tidy profit after they picked him up transfer-free this time last year after his contract at Feyenoord Rotterdam ended.
The Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad devoted an entire page of their sports section yesterday to Mokotjo’s future, reporting he was also being tracked by Twente Enschede and PSV Eindhoven plus the Belgian champions Anderlecht and Club Brugge.
“We will cooperate with any transfer bids that come in for Kamo if it is at the right price,” PEC’s technical director, Ger- ard Nijkamp, said.
Mokotjo was anointed the man of the match by De Boer after Sunday’s 1-0 win away at the Amsterdam Arena in the Dutch Super Cup – the seasonopener between league champions and cup winners.
He stripped the ball off compatriot Thulani Serero in midfield to set up the surprise winner for PEC.
In April, Mokotjo was also an outstanding performer when PEC produced a sensational upset over Ajax by beating them 5-1 in the Dutch Cup final.
“I’m paying no attention to all this speculation . . . I don’t know where I will be playing this coming season, but for the moment I am a PEC player and all I’m doing is focusing on the game against Utrecht [on Friday],” Mokotjo said.