Former Kaizer Chiefs winger Junior Khanye has backed Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos’ decision to leave out Mduduzi Shabalala from the latest national team squad.
The 21-year-old attacking midfielder was one of the notable omissions from Broos’ 23-man squad to face Zambia on Saturday.
Shabalala featured for Bafana Bafana during last month’s FIFA World Cup qualifiers, after being called up as a late replacement for Relebohile Mofokeng, and made his senior national team debut against Rwanda.
Speaking on iDiski TV, Khanye said Shabalala has not been consistent enough to make the Bafana team.
“It’s an easy decision for Hugo Broos not to select him. How long has Mdu been playing in the Betway Premiership? We can’t say he is young, he’s a year older than the likes of Rele Mofokeng and Mbokazi.”
“In his first season, he already raised his hand, and it’s difficult now to put him on the bench with the squad they have. You can’t always perform against the likes of Magesi and Orbit and fail to show up when it matters most,” he added.
Khanye says Shabalala is not consistent to be in Bafana
Khanye felt the 21-year-old only performanced against smaller teams in the PSL and was yet to show his talent against the likes of Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns.
“In big games, he doesn’t perform,” said the former Chiefs winger.
“I don’t blame Broos. His decision was easy because Mdu is not consistent. He has surprises, he can surprise you, but he doesn’t do it in big games. He (Broos) doesn’t follow the hype. I’m sure when they trained, Broos saw that. The coach made a good decision by not selecting Mdu.”
Broos has explained his decision to leave out Shabalala in his latest Bafana squad.
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