Former Orlando Pirates midfielder Steve Lekoelea has tipped winger Thembinkosi Lorch to walk away with major accolades at the end of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) season.
Lekoelea says the former Chippa United attacker has shown great ambition since joining Pirates.
“I think the (Pirates players) boys deserve something at the end of the season, they have done very well and I am sure they will walk away with many individual awards,” Lekoelea told Goal.
Having won a number of man-of-the-match awards and Player of the Month accolades this season, the Bloemfontein-born player has been one of the key players for the Soweto giants.
“For example, Lorch has collected so many man-of-the-match awards and he must get something even if Pirates fail to win the league,” said ‘Chippa’.
“I think he has set a great example to all the other players coming from the small teams that you must not relax, keep playing very hard,” continued Lekoelea.
“He came from Chippa United and didn’t say 'I have made it by joining Pirates', but he kept working hard because he wants to play regularly for Bafana and possibly go to Europe – he is a great example to all the players who want to play for big clubs,” he concluded.
With coach Milutin Sredojevic’s troops chasing for their first PSL title since the 2011-12 season, Lorch has carried the Buccaneers’ hopes and dreams.
Meanwhile, he remains in contention for making Stuart Baxter’s final squad heading to the 2019 Caf African Cup of Nations tournament.
Lorch's South Africa have been drawn into Group D at the Africa Cup of Nations, which kicks off on June 21 in Egypt.
Bafana will begin their Afcon campaign against Ivory Coast in Cairo, before meeting Namibia and Morocco as they look to reach the knockout stages.