Kekana: ‘Mailula is the blueprint for Mzansi youngsters’

Mamelodi Sundowns appear to be on a mission to breed a lot of youngsters as a number of them have been incorporated into the senior team.

One player who has set the scene alight is 21-year-old Cassius Mailula. The exciting attacker has been mentioned alongside Percy Tau, who also came through Masandawana’s development ranks.

His teammate, Grant Kekana, has offered words of advice to Mailula and the like, as he insists that the budding talent need to take leaf from the senior players and not feel threatened by the galaxy of stars they train with at Chloorkop.

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“The youngsters are showing a lot of quality and desire. They are willing to work hard and that goes in line with the mentality that is needed to play at Sundowns. However, they need a bit of guidance for them to step up on the big stage,” Kekana told the club’s YouTube channel.

“We have seen with Cassius, he has been doing well and he is setting an example for everyone else who came along with him. We have to hold their hands and make sure that they work hard. They need to be reminded that they need to always go the extra mile and it is our duty to remind them as senior players to the point that it is instilled in them,” Kekana added.

MENTORSHIP

Having spent a number of years as an understudy to players like Bongani Khumalo and Clayton Daniels at his former club SuperSport United, the now seasoned Kekana highlights the importance of playing a mentorship role.

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“This will help them adapt quicker to the intensity of the training that we do and the kind of game we play. We press high and we do a lot of runs and I think we run more than any other team,” Kekana added.

“They are showing a lot of cool heads and they are willing to learn, it is just about us telling them what is expected from them and they must understand that it is coming from a good place because we want them to do well and step up when their time comes.”