“I hope that he will be with us,” said the Moroccan coach.
Coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has reiterated his wish to see Relebohile Mofokeng remain at Orlando Pirates this season.
This comes after reports emerged in recent months linking the 20-year-old forward with overseas clubs with the latest being US Major League Soccer outfit Minnesota United who are said to have submitted an offer of around $2 million (over R35 million) for his services.
READ MORE: US club submit multi-million rand offer for Pirates’ Mofokeng – report
Mofokeng was in Ouaddou’s starting line-up when Pirates registered their first win in the league on Wednesday night, edging Stellenbosch FC 1-0 at the Orlando Stadium thanks to a wonder goal fy Kamogelo Sebelebele.
During the post-match conference, Ouaddou was asked again about the speculation surrounding his star player Mofokeng and he said he was not aware of the interest from Minnesota as his focus was on the clash against Stellies.
“I’m sorry about that question. Today I was only focused on the game of Stellenbosch FC, I didn’t have time to look or read in the media,” said Ouaddou.
“What I know is that Rele [Relebohile Mofokeng] is with us, and today he did well, which means that he is with us, and I hope that he will be with us.
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“Rele is a player that we have to give freedom because he is a kind of player who is intelligent and clever. He is a player that you can’t just keep on one side or stick in one role.
“You need to give him freedom, and I think today he had a lot of freedom,” added Ouaddou.