Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has insisted Njabulo Blom stood out for him at Kaizer Chiefs despite the team “struggling a little bit”.
The South Africa head coach announced his final 23-man squad for the two friendly matches against Mozambique and Angola on 17 and 20 November, with Blom and Kgaogelo Sekgota the only Chiefs players in his selection.
When asked why opted to recall Blom, who has made just one appearance for Bafana Bafana so far, coming off the bench in a 1-0 win over Ghana in June 2021, Broos explained that he felt the Chiefs midfielder stood out for his club despite the inconsistent results before the FIFA World Cup break.
“I think when I saw the performances of Chiefs over the last five to six weeks, they were struggling a little bit, but now bit by bit are becoming better but Blom was always doing his performance, he was not disappointing,” he said during the squad announcement on SABC.
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“Even in a team who wasn’t really good playing. I think if he can do that, the way he plays now in that position, because before he was a right-back, right offensive midfielder.
“What he did now was what I’m looking for when I’m looking for a defensive midfielder.”
Blom has been one of the standout performers for Arthur Zwane’s side, with his performances improving despite the player and the club being stuck in contract negotiations. The 22-year-old’s current deal is running out in June and he would be free to sign a pre-contract with any club in January.
Broos did not further elaborate why Yusuf Maart, who was part of the initial 30-man squad did not make the final 23-man selection.
