Downs to decide on Rantie
The 29-year-old former Bournemouth striker has struggled to get going ever since he moved back to South Africa.
Mamelodi Sundowns are still undecided on whether to sign striker Tokelo Rantie with the new Absa Premiership having already kicked off.
The Pretoria club has plenty of attacking options, but none of their strikers are as clinical as Rantie.
The 29-year-old former Bournemouth striker has struggled to get going ever since he moved back to South Africa.
He joined Cape Town City at the end of last year, but after three months at the club, his contract was terminated without him kicking a ball. It was stated that the striker couldn’t shed off weight despite being given a training programme to do so.
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Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane, who has made it public that he was a Rantie fan, confirmed that the striker was training with them during the pre-season.
“It is not easy at Sundowns because he is up against Lebogang Maboe and he is after Mauricio Affonso and sometimes we play Phakamani Mahlambi and Thapelo Morena,” Mosimane told The Citizen newspaper.
“He needs game time and I don’t know if he’ll get a chance to play at Sundowns. We have Jeremy Brockie who is also fighting to get into that space,” he added.
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Although the 54-year-old mentor is a fan of Rantie, he said the biggest concern was that the striker hasn’t played football in two years.
“So it is a bit tough for him. If there is any team that is ready to sign him now, I would easily recommend that he is the guy.
“I said we should allow him to go through the process and we should not put him under pressure. If he asks if we are signing him or not, I will say I am not sure. Why? Because the guy has spent two years without playing football, but what is good is that he is looking good and he is looking after himself.”
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Mosimane said Rantie has shown commitment as he has lost a lot of weight since training with the Pretoria club.
“This is the guy who was playing in the English Premier League not so long ago where Percy Tau does not have a chance to play. We should also appreciate that and also respect. I am trying to give him the chance to come up and not put himself under pressure and see how it goes.”
After starting a season with a convincing 2-0 win over rivals Supersport United, Mamelodi Sundowns have already turned their attention on the CAF Champions League.
The Pretoria side faces AS Otôho d’Oyo from Congo Brazzaville in the preliminaries of the Caf Champions League on Sunday.
Sundowns, who are reigning Absa Premiership champions, finished fourth in the Champions League so for them to play in the early stages of the competition has had people talking.
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