Former Orlando Pirates midfielder Naughty Mokoena has heaped praise on Nkosingiphile Ngcobo and has labeled the Kaizer Chiefs star as the most promising player in the PSL right now. Speaking on the player’s future, Mokoena feels it’s only a matter of time before he makes a big move to Europe.
The 21-year-old has established himself as one of the key men under Gavin Hunt’s at Amakhosi, and is already becoming one of the most standout players in the squad, proving his consistency week in and week out.
Ngcobo is in the 40-man preliminary squad for the Olympics in Tokyo and. He is also expected to make the final cut, based on current form. Should he make it to the Olympics, Mokoena believes the player will catch the attention of European scouts and perhaps secure a big move to a club abroad.
Speaking in an interview, the ex-Pirates man said: “I have watched this boy play and he is growing game by game. You can see that he is in good hands with coach Gavin Hunt and it’s really a blessing in disguise for him. I don’t think that boy will come back to South Africa after the Olympics”
“If he continues the way he has been performing at Chiefs, that boy is going far. I am very impressed with him.”
Mokoena also expressed his delight with how Ngcobo has been able to deal with the pressure that comes with playing for a club like Kaizer Chiefs at such a young age.
“Such a youngster playing for such a big team and he plays the way he has been playing? It’s really impressed me. Chiefs, Pirates and Sundowns are big teams, so for him to play this way at his age, I take my hat off for him. Seriously, I take my hat off for him.”
Ngcobo is already one of the top youngsters in the country and he can only get better based on his current rate of development. There might be a host of suitors for his signature come end of the season and it now remains to be seen if Chiefs will decide to cash in on him or keep him as one for the future. Only time will tell what becomes of the 21-year-old under the tutelage of Gavin Hunt.