Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi says they are limiting his game minutes for captain Hlompho Kekana so as to reserve him for the later stages of the season when he will “be very important for” Masandawana.
Kekana has started just three out of five Premier Soccer League (PSL) games this season, unusual for the 35-year-old midfielder who extended his contract by four years in March.
He made cameo appearances coming off the bench against Cape Town City and AmaZulu while lasting 58 minutes against Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila.
He played 71 minutes in the 3-0 win over Kaizer Chiefs but lasted the entire game in their previous outing away at Maritzburg United as well as the MTN8 quarter-final defeat by Bloemfontein Celtic.
But Mngqithi said they would need Kekana’s full services and experience when the PSL campaign gets tougher.
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“When it comes to our captain, the skipper is one boy who deserves everything that comes his way because he is the true professional,” said Mngqithi as per Sowetan Live.
“We have won many trophies with him, I think 11 of them. He is a machine and he works very hard. Others are looking at him, those who are not playing at the moment. They think maybe he reached his sell-by date. But we know what we are doing.
“We are trying to freshen him up because we know at a certain point in the league he is going to be very important for us. When that time comes, he must be very fresh because if you check in the past few seasons, he has been playing almost all the matches."
Kekana has been instrumental in Downs’ success in the past seasons and his performances have gained global recognition.
He has been nominated for the 2020 Fifa Puskas award after being listed for the same gong in 2016.
Mngqithi says he will not be pleased if Kekana does not win the Puskas award.
“I wish Hlompho could win one of these awards, more especially the Puskas because it is not the first time he gets selected,” Mngqithi.
“It will be sad for me if Hlompho does not get such a recognition because if you were to look at the goals that he has scored, [they are] goals that are at the same magnitude as the goal that has taken him to this Puskas award [nomination].”
