Abdeslam Ouaddou raves about new Pirates signing

Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has waxed lyrical about new signing Thapelo Mokobodi, who has established himself as a vital cog in the heart of midfield.

The 23-year-old dynamic midfielder was lured from Betway Premiership side Stellenbosch FC on a three-year deal, and has already made five appearances across all competitions thus far this season.

While he wasn't part of the pre-season squad in Spain as he was signed post the camp, the Pirates boss is not concerned about the player's physical condition, owing to the assumption of intense training sessions under Gavin Hunt.

“First of all, he's a boy I know very well, I know his qualities from my previous club. I know what he can give us, what he is able to do, and physically I think he started the pre-season in Stellenbosch FC with Gavin Hunt,” said Ouaddou.

"And when you know Gavin Hunt, the way that he wants his team to play, you can guess that he had the beginning of the preparation very good, so he just came to finish with us the last phase of the preparation.

Ouaddou went on to rave about the qualities possessed by Mokobodi, earmarking the midfielder for a prominent role at Pirates throughout the remainder of the season.

“His style of play suits very well the way we want to play, he's somebody that's clever, he's somebody that integrated quickly and he's a boy that took his chance,” added the Bucs mentor.

"I always say that when a train stops at the station, you need to climb in that train, especially when it's a high speed train. So, you need to be inside because sometimes the train doesn't stop too much every time in every station.

"So, he is in the train and I hope he will continue to grow and to improve. He's one of the key players in our system.

Pirates, meanwhile, return to action with a clash against Sekhukhune United in the second leg of the MTN8 semi-final at the Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday, 29 August, as they hold a 1-0 lead from the first meeting.

Hlayisani Magoro

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Football journalist from South Africa covering African football news, exclusive stories and key events while sharing insights with passionate fans of the game.

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