Cape Town City head coach Eric Tinkler believes he has unearthed a gem in young fullback Patrick Fisher, saying the player has a bright future. 

Fisher played on the left side of City's back-four in their 3-2 loss to Swallows in their DStv Premiership on Tuesday evening at the Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto. Something was outstanding about Fisher: he was clean.

The 19-year-old played like a seasoned pro. Many youngsters often look out of place when they get promoted to the top flight, they get stage fright and the intensity found in the professional game overwhelms them, but Fisher looked like he belonged there, he did not look out of place.

Fisher's preferred position is right-back, but that slot at the club belongs to their skipper Thamsanqa Mkhize, who has been a great servant for City over the years. Mkhize is 33 now and has a few more seasons in him. 

Sowetan asked Tinkler if he sees Fisher as Mkhize's successor in the long run, but instead the coach elaborated on the relationship between the two. 

"Thami has a lot of respect for Patrick," said Tinkler. "He thinks Patrick is going to be his replacement one day. It's a good thing to have a captain like that, he's always speaking to Patrick, and they have a good relationship," he said.

What was more impressive about Fisher was the fact that it was his debut outing in the Premiership. Tinkler explained what makes Fisher so good and how far his star can rise.

"He played as a left-back and I thought he did well for 65 minutes and then fatigue started to come," he said. 

"He showed good composure on the ball, good combination play with Darwin, he looked to get forward and be positive. His defensive attributes were very good, he's aggressive in terms of his pressing. 

"I see a bright future for Patrick. Also, he's a hard worker ... so he deserves it," said the former Bafana Bafana international.