Dolly heaps praises on 'confident' Shabalala

Kaizer Chiefs star Keagan Dolly has high hopes that his developing teammate Mduduzi Shabalala will be the next big thing, praising the 18-year-old forward's arrogance and bravery on the ball.

“Mdu has a lot of confidence, you can see that when he's on the ball. He's not afraid to play. The boy loves the game and he wants to achieve things. You can see he's taking risks whenever he gets the opportunity. You could see when he went to trials overseas that he wants to achieve and that's a key factor that he has. I really think he'll go places, he's the next star,'' Dolly said.

Shabalala has managed three league appearances this term, scoring a single goal. Last year, the Amakhosi starlet underwent trial at Spanish side Villarreal. The 18-year-old was afforded the opportunity – albeit delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic – after his Player of the Tournament-showing at the Under-17 Cosafa Cup in 2020. He was also assessed by Belgian top-flight side Westerlo a few weeks before the Villareal experience. 

Meanwhile, on Monday Dolly is expected to have an X-ray to determine the extent of the injury that forced him off when they lost 1-0 to Sekhukhune United at FNB Stadium on their 53rd birthday on Saturday. Coincidentally, it was Shabalala who replaced Dolly just three minutes after the hour mark.

Chiefs next game is against struggling AmaZulu at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Friday (7.30pm).