By Michael Madyira
Former Mamelodi Sundowns captain Hlompho Kekana has warned against overhyping in-form Cassius Mailula as the next big thing to happen to South African football.
The 21-year-old Masandawana forward has been a huge revelation during the ongoing Premier Soccer League (PSL) campaign.
After starting his season late and making his PSL debut in September, Mailula is already enjoying a rich vein of form, establishing himself as a contender for the 2022/23 Golden Boot award.
He has five goals in seven league appearances and has found the back of the net three times in two CAF Champions League matches.
For a country desperate to unearth a prolific striker, Mailula is yet to make his Bafana Bafana debut, but he is already being mentioned alongside the national team’s all-time scorers like Benni McCarthy, Shaun Bartlett and Katlego Mphela.
In spite of this, Kekana is quick to pour cold water over the excitement and feels it overloads the Sundowns star with unnecessary pressure.
“It’s too early to even make those remarks about that kid. Can we try to give him enough time to develop?” Kekana told Scrolla.Africa.
Kekana said that based on the space that Mailula is in, he doesn’t think it’s possible to tell where he is going. He believes Mailula is “still a kid happy to play the game”.
“I love his attitude, I love how he applies himself in games.”
He says Mailula is still developing.
“He has not even played a lot of matches in the PSL yet, so we can’t just put pressure on him and call him the next big thing in South African football,” said Kekana.
In recent years, local strikers have been struggling for goals and that has cascaded down to the national team.
There are already expectations that Mailula could be Hugo Broos’ attacking solution in the Bafana fold.
“We are talking about a naive kid who is just enjoying playing football. I love that naivety about him. I love that he is brave and he is approaching football with a positive mind,” said Kekana.
“I love his attitude and he has a huge potential to be a good player who can carry South African football.”
Mailula has stepped up to claim responsibility in the absence of the injured Peter Shalulile who has been the PSL’s most prolific forward in the past four seasons.
Pictured above: Cassius Mailula
Image source: Mamelodi Sundowns
