Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has given his verdict on the performance of Patrick 'Tito' Maswanganyi as the search for Themba Zwane's replacement in the national team is ongoing.
Maswanganyi was named in the starting line-up in the game against South Sudan at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Tuesday evening and didn't disappoint with his performance as Bafana completed their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification in style without a loss and at the top of their group.
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The Orlando Pirates star scored one of the goals in the 3-0 victory to add to the goal he scored against Uganda in Kampala on Friday, taking his tally in the national team to two.
With Zwane in the twilight of his international career at 35, Broos has been assessing options for the player to potentially be the replacement for the Mamelodi Sundowns star, and the Belgian tactician seems to be leaning towards the direction of Maswanganyi in his choice.
"I'm very happy with the performance of Patrick. You know why, I said it already before, we need to look for someone who can replace Themba. Unfortunately, we had to do it earlier. I wanted that Themba should still be with us now because I know how important he is for the team. But what Patrick showed today makes me happy. It's not really what we want but I asked him to play differently than at Pirates. So, it's a little bit for him to adapt in the way we play but he has the potential, otherwise I shouldn't select him," said Broos, speaking to the media after the game last night.
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"So, with this game today, and also on Friday he scored and today he scored, that will give him certainly a boost in confidence and I'm happy with his performance. But he still has to improve. He still has to be more the player who gives passes and who is very important for us, and he can. I'm sure he can do that, but it needs a little bit of time. But again, today he did what I asked and I'm happy with his performance," the coach said.
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