Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has thrown caution to those who may want to see Relebohile Ratomo featuring heavily in the side, saying they will have to take things slowly for him.
Ratomo, in two starts this season, has shown sparks of his potential as he finished both matches against Royal AM and AmaZulu respectively.
He scored the second goal, stabbing home as Pirates crushed AmaZulu 4-0 at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday to see the Soweto giants qualify for the CAF Champions League by finishing second in the DStv Premiership.
Ratomo was unlucky to not have been credited with another goal in the draw against Royal AM earlier this month as his shot was deflected in by Elias Pelembe.
But his all-round play, hugging the line all the time to stretch the full-back, cutting inside whenever he has the ball, added to having the ability to combine with the give-and-go moves, is something that has seen Pirates fans love to see.
But for Ratomo’s growth, they will have to go easy on him to reach his potential because he has what it takes, according to Riveiro.
“Ratomo is part of the team at 17 years old, it is talking straight how good the player could be in the future,” the Spaniard said.
“He’s a young player, we have to go little by little with him, choosing the right moment for him to play for us.
“But if you can see a player in our starting lineup, it means he’s doing very well, training well, he fits in our game plan. That is the reason he was in our starting lineup.”
Ratomo will hope to feature when Pirates face Sekhukhune United in the Nedbank Cup final at Loftus Stadium on Saturday.
