SuperSport United CEO Stan Matthews has revealed that the club has a budding talent that he feels will surpass the impact made by the likes of Kermit Erasmus, Kamohelo Mokotjo and Teboho Mokoena from the academy.
SuperSport's squad depth was tested when the club came up against a team from the ABC Motsepe League, Dondol Stars in the last 32 of the Nedbank Cup.
United head coach Gavin Hunt rotated the team, as he gave youngsters such as Neo Rapoo, Bilal Baloyi and Thapelo Maseko a good run but the move backfired, as Matsatsantsa were knocked out of the tournament by their amateur neighbours, who hail from Mamelodi, in Tshwane.
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However, Matthews says the club has the best young crop of players coming through in his 23 years at the club and believes the current generation is more talented and equipped than the generation of the likes of Kermit Erasmus, Kamohelo Mokotjo and Teboho Mokoena and singled out Thapelo Maseko as the best of the bunch.
"Thapelo Maseko will definitely be an absolute star for Bafana Bafana for ten years, he's a cracking player with brilliant technique, wonderful pace and excellent finisher," Matthews said on Marawa Sports Worldwide.
"Already attracting interest from foreign wide, including abroad, so for us we're sitting on good stuff.
"Our football club is in fantastic shape, we've got the best young crop of players that we've ever had at the club in my 23 years, the youngsters coming through, the Diski Challenge team and in our U19s are the better standard than the level of Kermit (Erasmus) and Kamohelo (Mokotjo), Thato Mokeke, Ronwen Williams himself," he said.
"Players that started with us at the age of 12, other fantastic players that started with us at 15, 16 like Teboho Mokoena, Sipho Mbule, now we've got the young Thapelo Maseko."
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Matthews says he attributes Maseko's rapid development to the platform given by the DStv Diski Challenge, where he came to the senior team having scored 30 goals in two seasons.
"I can state unreservedly without any fear of contradiction from any chairman in the PSL that the Diski Challenge has been a complete game-changer for us," he went on.
"We certainly would not have a situation right now where we have Thapelo Maseko who is coming to the PSL as a young 19-year old, scored three goals already in the PSL, if you compare that to a 25-year old Grant Margeman for example.
"He's six years ahead already of his time and the reason he's like that is because he scored 30 goals in the DStv Diski Challenge over the past two seasons," he added.
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