He has great potential: Broos defends Lepasa’s Bafana selection

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has defended his decision to include Zakhele Lepasa in his squad despite the striker’s disappointing returns for his club Orlando Pirates.

Lepasa has scored one goal in his nine appearances for Pirates in the Premier Soccer League, but started as the target man for Bafana in their friendly match against Mozambique on Thursday night.

Bongokuhle Hlongwane scored twice as South Africa came from a goal down to clinch a 2-1 victory against the Mambas.   

While some may feel there are more deserving strikers to start for the national team ahead of Lepasa, Broos feels the 25-year-old has a great potential to be something big.

“Lepasa is a very good striker, but he is young and he has to learn a lot,” Broos said.

Against Mozambique, Lepasa didn’t have a good first half but he came right in the final stanza.

“When I saw him play in the first half, he was that striker who stayed in the centre (upfront). He was not moving,” Broos said.

“I said to him during half time ‘Zakhele you will never touch the ball, you have to move left and right and comeback’ and you saw in the second half he was on the ball.”

The national team mentor feels even when Lepasa is not scoring, he supplements that by his other contributions to the play.

The Soweto-born striker had a role to play in both Hlongwane’s second half goals.

“He is quick and in combinations he is good,” Broos said.

“He was two times better in the second half (compared to the first half). That's because he was moving (around the pitch).”

Broos said it was unfortunate Lepasa is not given enough game time by coach Jose Riveiro at Pirates.

“He has great potential, but you need to be patient with him. You need to talk to him and you need to tell him what he has to do and you will see how good he is,” Broos said.

“He is good, strong and he is also a guy who has power.

“(The problem) is that he doesn’t play all the games in his team and this is the decision of their coach. But for me he is a very good striker and you saw that today.”

Bafana will wrap up their Fifa international window period by playing Angola at Mbombela Stadium in Mpumalanga on Sunday (2.30pm).

With three victories on the trot, having beaten Sierra Leone (4-0), Botswana (1-0) both in September and Mozambique on Thursday, Bafana will be looking to stretch to four back-to-back wins.