Orlando Pirates could be without Mbekezeli Mbokazi for the next few weeks if he decides to join the U/20 side.
Amajita coach Raymond Mdaka has expressed his desire to have the 19-year-old defender in his squad as the team prepares for the U/20 World Cup in Chile later this month
“You know, we said to ourselves that we are without him but we are with him in spirit. I’m not gonna comment that much about that because we might have him, so you never know,” Mdaka said.
Mbokazi has been instrumental for Orlando Pirates this season
“Obviously we’d like [to have him] because he’s one player who has grown within the team. He’s been part of the preparations, he’s been part of us, he’s been key, so, he’s somebody that we’d like to have but we’ll always understand situations.
“As much as I can’t comment for now to say indeed we have him or we don’t have him but we have him in our list. For instance, in this camp, he has gone to Bafana and they are doing the World Cup Qualifiers, so, it’s something that is very understandable but we still believe chances are, we’re gonna have him.”
Orlando Pirates might not be keen to release Mbokazi
Mbokazi played against Lesotho on Friday and is expected to start against Nigeria on Tuesday as Bafana Bafana look to seal World Cup qualification.
TThe hard-tackling centre back will captain his team this coming weekend in the final of the MTN8 against Stellenbosch.
The 19-year-old has been a constant presence in the Buccaneers’ starting lineup, featuring in all eight competitive fixtures so far. He even took on the captain’s armband in the absence of Nkosinathi Sibisi, who is recovering from a knee injury.
It remains to be seen if Mbokazi will be released by Orlando Pirates to represent the country in the U/20 World Cup.
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