Rushine de Reuck and Neo Maema have received calls for increased output from Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena during training. The Nedbank Cup quarterfinals are comfortably inside the Brazilians’ grasp.
Sundowns Are Talent-Packaged
Neo Maema and Rushine de Reuck have both had supporting roles this season. Although he acknowledges it’s challenging to be fair considering the size of his team, head coach Mokwena wants the gifted duo to put in more effort to obtain playing time. Maema, who helped Downs win a lot of games last season, has only participated in one game in 2024. That occurred during a 6-1 thumping of La Masia in the Nedbank Cup Round of 32. Since August 2023, De Reuck, a central defender, has only made five appearances in all competitions. Both players are healthy and fully training, but Mokwena stated they will need to put in a lot of effort to break into the starting lineup:
They are not doing improperly. It’s merely competition, in my opinion. You will eventually need to comprehend the club’s dynamics. Neo and Rushine are necessities. At their best, we require them. It hasn’t helped that they’ve been hurt when they’ve attempted to gain some momentum. However, they are not hurt right now. They need to compete for their spot on the team and wait their turn. The team is winning and there is fierce competition in those spots, Mokwena told the media following Tuesday’s Nedbank Cup quarterfinal draw.
Quarterfinal Lineup for the Nedbank Cup
AmaTuks, a team from a lower league, will play Sundowns in the final eight. All three of the remaining quarterfinals are PSL ties. SuperSport will play Stellenbosch, TS Galaxy will play Chippa, and AmaZulu will welcome the holders, the Orlando Pirates, to KwaZulu Natal.
Nigeria Aims to Take the Lead from Potential BAFANA Stars
With eighteen league games this season, 20-year-old Okon has established himself as a mainstay in the SuperSport United defense alongside Siyanda Xulu and Thulani Hlatshwayo. He is qualified to play for the Super Eagles because his father is Nigerian. He still has four games left to play for the senior team, therefore he is free to swap sides. Andre Arendse thinks it would be a great shame if that came to pass. Nonetheless, this is not a novel problem; Goal previously covered it in October 2023.
“We need to take care of him; I know I’m not placing too much pressure on him since he can handle it and is beginning to show it in games. You mentioned having two citizenships, so we best take care not to lose him—he’s one for the future,” he said.
“I’m not even going to name names because you all know who I’m talking about, but I can assure you that in a few years he’ll be up there, if not better than those guys. I had the honor of playing behind some of the best defenders in South Africa.”
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