Cape Town City coach Muhsin Ertugral expressed regret for not introducing Emile Witbooi earlier in their Betway Premiership match against AmaZulu, which they lost at King Zwelithini Stadium on Sunday.

Witbooi, the son of former City and Mamelodi Sundowns attacker Surprise Ralani, made his debut in the loss to Usuthu, coming on in the 68th minute for Kayden Francis.

At just 16 years, six months, and two days old, Witbooi became the youngest player to ever represent Cape Town City.

The young player appeared lively, displaying fearlessness on the ball as he was given freedom on the flanks by Ertugral.

Reflecting on Witbooi’s impact, who has recently signed with Jay-Z’s agency Roc Nation, Ertugral felt he should have brought him on sooner due to the positive influence he had on the game.

“When you look at it, a 16-year-old boy comes into the game, his first game, which made me really proud to put him in that situation. I wasn’t afraid to do it, and you could see how much he changed the game,” said Ertugral.

“How much for a 16-year-old boy, because he has an attacking mindset and vision. Having Thabo Nodada and Fortune Makaringe behind him, giving him a little bit of freedom to go forward, we actually gained momentum when he came on.

“I was asking myself, ‘Why didn’t I try to bring him on earlier?’

“But obviously, we’re talking about a 16-year-old boy, and we also had Gabriel (Amato), a 19-year-old on the field.

“So, these youngsters have a future. At the same time, we have to get results.”

City are still searching for their first away win since Ertugral replaced Eric Tinkler in the January transfer window.

Having initially moved into the top eight following consecutive home wins over Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs, the club has since slipped to 10th in the table with 21 points after 20 matches.

In fact, of the six league wins City have accumulated this season, only one was away, against Chippa United in December.

“We now have 10 games to go, and we need to get at least four victories to stabilize the team and look forward,” said Ertugral, who will transition to a technical director role at the end of the season.

City, who have lost their last four league matches, will look to return to winning ways when they host TS Galaxy at Athlone Stadium on Wednesday (19:30).

Story by Kamogelo Ndlovu