Stuart Baxter praises Itumeleng Khune’s distribution as the ‘best in the world’

Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter hails Itumeleng Khune's distribution as the best he has ever seen after he contributed immensely with this same quality over the weekend.

“I don’t think I’ve seen anyone better than him. I’m sure you can throw up a few in Brazil or Argentina who are close to him. But I think he’s probably the best I’ve ever seen,” Baxter told the media.

The 30-year-old, who captained the side on the day, landed balls on the feet of Andile Jali and Percy Tau to set-up Bafana’s second and third goals respectively for a 3-1 win.

 “I’ve coached a lot of goalkeepers all over the world. And if you’re talking about distribution, then ‘Itu’ is world class,” he said.

Baxter admits even his son, who had a spell with him as SuperSport United’s goalkeeper coach, told him he’s never seen anybody distribute the ball as Khune’s does with such ease.

“My son (Lee) is a goalkeeper coach and he tells me he’s never seen anybody distribute the ball as confidently," he added.

“And I have to admit when I first came to Kaizer Chiefs and he was kicking balls through the midfield ad hitting the strikers I was like, ‘Ooh’ (indicating wincing in discomfort)," he said.

“I was thinking, ‘No, you can’t do that’, But he taught me to relax. So, yes it’s a weapon. And we do pride ourselves on being mobile and quick, and we want to release those players as quickly as we can, before the opponents get set,” Baxter concluded.