Larsen Makes Bold Makhubu Claim
Magesi FC coach Clinton Larsen has made a bold claim that he is yet to see a better striker than Wonderboy Makhubu in the teams they have faced so far in the top flight, including Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs.
The on-loan Sekhukhune United player was instrumental in Magesi’s promotion to the Betway Premiership, racking up 11 goals in the second tier last season, and has already netted two league goals in the ongoing campaign.
While Larsen admits that the 27-year-old is inexperienced at this level, he firmly believes that his work rate and intelligence on and off the ball are what sets him apart from the rest of the goal poachers in the elite league.
“He may not have the experience of a lot of players in the Premier League, I don’t even think he’s played 20 games, including his last stint in the PSL, but he’s got rare qualities for a striker, he’s one of the hardworking strikers in the league, ” said Larsen.
“When you look at defending from the front, his name is up there with the best, he puts defenders under so much pressure with his selfless pressing actions. He’s always available to receive the ball when his team has been defending, with excellent runs in the channels behind the defensive line.”
Furthermore, the Durban-born mentor maintains that Makhubu will soon catch the eye of Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos and will raise eyebrows as he can hit double figures with only a select few strikers better than him in the league.
“I think it’s just a matter of time [before he gets a call-up], we’ve played six league games and three cup games, nine games in total and I’ve been around the block a few times, and I don’t think I’ve seen a better striker in the teams that we’ve played so far, ” Larsen claimed.
“It’s my honest opinion, I rate him very highly, so I’m sure that if we create goals for him, he will get into double figures. I believe that once that happens, a lot of other teams will start to take note of him.”
Ahead of their Carling Knockout Cup semifinal clash away to Richards Bay on Saturday, Larsen says they take no issue in playing on the road again in this competition, and hopes to cause another upset, highlighting their ability to grind results.
“Our track record from last season [shows] we are better on the road for some reason, so it’s our third away game in the cup, maybe it’s a good omen to be playing away from home, maybe the players play under less pressure on the road, ” he said.
“We don’t have a problem going on the road, we proved even this season that we can get results away if you look at the Golden Arrows and Cape Town City games besides the cup games, so once again we want to make sure that we remain competitive and hopefully cause another upset.
“Every game this season, whether it’s in this cup or the next, in the league, Magesi will always be the underdogs against every opposition unless we draw a smaller team in the Nedbank cup, but at the moment the underdog is showing a lot of fight.”
