Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro is determined to keep giving youth a chance as long as he feels they are ready for the senior team.
Riveiro has been lauded for his seamless integration of youngster Relebohile Mofokeng into the senior team from the DStv Diski Challenge, making him a key member of the team and now, Mohau Nkota is the latest addition to the roster.
Nkota has taken to life in the senior team as fish to water, managing four goals in seven games, and the two have become important players that have now kept some senior stars on the bench.
Riveiro says age does not matter and he will stay on the same path during his spell at Pirates when he thinks the player is ready.
Playing youngsters is not a risk for Riveiro
“From the club perspective, the key, like any other in the world is recruitment, have a good scouting structure in order to have the capacity to accumulate talent in your development, and then from my point, I don’t see players as youngsters,” said Riveiro.
“I don’t see youngsters or experienced players; they are good, or they are not good enough. They are ready or they are not ready. It’s convenient or not convenient for the game, it’s not about when he was born, or whether he is 20, 19, or 22 – it doesn’t make a big difference.
“When the player is ready, he is ready, when the player is talented, he is talented, and that’s the system itself, you play them, or you don’t play them. It’s simple – and people usually talk about taking the risk of playing a young player.”
Will Nkota & Rele start against the Stellies?
The Spanish tactician feels players can blossom at whatever age and it can only be a bad thing if they are thrown into the deep end before they are ready.
“For me, the risk is when you play a player who is not ready, whether he is 30 or 20, in our case, the boys are showing they are ready and they are capable of surviving in different environments so far. We are happy and we are glad and clearly inspiring more youngsters in our structures to be ready because age is not going to be a problem if they are ready,” he added.
Pirates host Stellenbosch FC in their next match on Sunday December 2, and the two youngsters will likely make the starting XI.
