Percy Tau reminds Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane of Jabu Pule

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Pitso Mosimane has hailed Percy Tau’s ability and believes that the 23-year-old is ready to make the leap onto the European stage.

Tau recently sent tongues wagging after he produced a moment of individual brilliance to set up a goal for teammate Khama Billiat, which saw Masandawana end Cape Town City’s dominance over them.

The playmaker, who spent some time out at Witbank Spurs, has been a revelation for Sundowns as he has showed maturity and an ability beyond his years. It was previously reported that Tau was even at the centre of interest from Denmark’s Midtjylland and Russian club FC Rostov prior to the close of the January transfer window.

But the 53-year-old mentor remained hardnosed suggesting that only the top five leagues in the world would do for Tau and it seems that Mosimane is hellbent on making that wish a reality.

“The quality says Percy Tau is ready for Europe,” Mosimane told the media.

“The mentality and ability says he is ready. I think Percy must go to the top 5 leagues in Europe but at this point in time he can go to the Sweden's, the Denmark's, those European leagues," he added.

“What will make Percy go to the top five leagues in Europe is if he is a leading player in Bafana, scoring goals, if he wins the league with us, the Nedbank and also the (Caf) Champions League. That’s his passport to the top five leagues,” Mosimane explained.  

“At this moment, he can go to the other leagues. We are receiving interest for Percy, especially when he does these things every week. We live in an international world and people post things. People scout like us, the way we know the top player in Bolivia, they know the top player in South Africa,” he continued.

Meanwhile, Mosimane also believes that Tau’s upbringing has been influential in his development. For a player that has achieved so much in such a short space of time, Tau remains extremely humble, a trait which has earned the respect of his coach.

“Percy's upbringing also helped him a lot. It’s not us but the people who brought him up. He's humble, good attitude, good training. He's always the last one leaving the field. It’s not because of us, we only manage him within the group,” Mosimane said.

“Percy respects the people he is playing with, respects the people he's working with, respects the people who love him because we are who we are, because people put us on the pedestal. He doesn't look down on them and say I'm the biggest. Percy always wants to do something with the ball in training. He loves football so much. He loves the game. He reminds of me of Jabu Pule," he added.

“Percy makes his mistakes because he is young and its normal but we speak to him. But we also give him the space to gloat a bit about his success but just manage it. When he does well we must acknowledge and praise him. We have to find the balance," Mosimane explained.

"Percy wants to play in Europe. He wants to play for Bafana. At the moment, he is leading Bafana. I told you last time that Bafana needs a player like Percy because he is fearless and plays with no restrictions,” he expressed.