Surprised Xulu reacts to Bafana call up

Bafana Bafana vice-captain Siyanda Xulu admits that he was surprised and wasn’t ready to return to the national team.

He however, says he is honoured to represent and play for his country whenever his serves are required.

Xulu was initially left out of the 23-man squad for the upcoming friendlies against Sierra Leone and Botswana.

BUT WHY WAS XULU NOT SELECTED INITIALLY?

He was included as a replacement for the injured Thibang Phete who plays for Al Bataeh FC in United Arab Emirates.

Xulu’s omission was mainly because he was out of action for five months after Israel outfit Hapoel Tel Aviv terminated his contact.

During the preseason he trained with DStv Premiership side AmaZulu to keep fit before heading back to Europe to sign for Azerbaijan club Turan.

For his new club, the 30-year-old has played in their three last matches, he continues regaining his confidence and getting 100% fully fit.

“To be honest,  I wasn’t really ready for it now [returning to the national team]. I was very surprised, but me and the coach we in costant communication, I’m the vice captain of the group,” Xulu told the media.

“We were in communication about my fitness and he’s the one who was always asking me how things are going. There was a bit of improvement that’s when he called me to come back to the team.

“Now back playing, I’m always privileged to represent the country. I’ve been here for 13/14 years in the national team. This is my first time when I’m constantly in the group and playing at my best.

Xulu further revealed that being clubless and a free agent got him worried.

He, however thanks coach Hugo Broos who was by his side through the difficult times believing that all will be ok and workout perfectly fine.

“I was very concerned, especially that other players were getting game time, other leagues were still in rolling and I wasn’t getting game time. Eventually, I knew that things were going to workout my way.

“I think it’s every player’s dream to have a coach who believes in you. I think it’s my first time in the national team to have a coach like him [Hugo Broos]. It really boosts my confidence going forward,” Xulu added.