Kaizer Chiefs coach Steve Komphela has given Venezuelan striker Gustavo Paez a mark of five-and-half out of 10 after his 30-minute debut appearance‚ where Amakhosi convincingly beat Free State Stars 3-1 at FNB Stadium on Tuesday.

Komphela introduced his new acquisition in the 58th minute of the Premier Soccer League match to replace misfiring Zimbabwean Edmore Chirambadare‚ and Paez showed positive signs with good touches and running on and off the ball.

He even produced a deft backheel pass to set-up a teammate outside the box as Chiefs tried to open holes in Stars’ defence‚ much to the delight of the few Amakhosi fans who were at the stadium.

“I am happy with the performance of Gustavo Paez – you could see some glimpses of somebody who has the qualities and attributes of a striker and with time he will get there‚” Komphela said after the match.

Elaborating on Paez’s 30 minutes‚ Komphela said he was impressed because the striker showed he knew where he wanted to run and played for the team.

“We need to be more patient with him – he is a good player and he is going to help us a lot‚” the coach said.

“In the time he spent on the field‚ you could see the movements of somebody who understands where he wanted to run to‚ his ball control was good‚ he played with the team and he was good with link play.”

Komphela added that though he was happy with Paez’s limited contribution on his debut‚ there was a moment where the player could have done better in terms of decision-making‚ but the coach expects him to grow in confidence and show his qualities as the season progresses.