“There was a lot of work done to profile and recruit him by the club, which is incredible. To bring a player of this level was important for us because he brings a lot of different dynamics,” said Mokwena as Sundowns prepared to face Algerian side CR Belouizdad at Loftus on Saturday where they are leading 4-1 from the first leg.
Mokwena said he may try him out as a central midfielder in future because of his quality and confidence on the ball.
“The left foot, versatility and I think ‘AB’ can play as a number six. I have never seen him play in that role before and I don’t think he has played there. I have never tested it, but I think he can play as a six.
“I think if you play aggressive counter pressing and play from a physicality perspective, maybe he can play as a left sided number eight in a diamond formation.
“That doesn’t give you too many possibilities to enter the box, but it will give you the range of passing, good physicality and a bit of a dynamism of a left foot and finding the opposition eight on the right.
‘Incredible athlete and good human being,’ Sundowns coach Mokwena on Moroccan defender 'AB’ Boutouil
Mamelodi Sundowns defender Abdelmounaim Boutouil has overcome injuries that delayed the start of his career at Chloorkop and it has been worth the wait for the club's supporters.
In seven appearances in all competitions so far this season, the Moroccan has won over the hard-to-please supporters with assured performances in the heart of the Brazilians' defence.
He has shown maturity and the ability to adapt as he has been paired with Rushine de Reuck, Mothobi Mvala or Grant Kekana in the matches he has featured in.
Asked what the man they call “AB” brings to the side, Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena waxed lyrical, saying he is experienced, versatile and aggressive.
“There was a lot of work done to profile and recruit him by the club, which is incredible. To bring a player of this level was important for us because he brings a lot of different dynamics,” said Mokwena as Sundowns prepared to face Algerian side CR Belouizdad at Loftus on Saturday where they are leading 4-1 from the first leg.
Mokwena said he may try him out as a central midfielder in future because of his quality and confidence on the ball.
“The left foot, versatility and I think ‘AB’ can play as a number six. I have never seen him play in that role before and I don’t think he has played there. I have never tested it, but I think he can play as a six.
“I think if you play aggressive counter pressing and play from a physicality perspective, maybe he can play as a left sided number eight in a diamond formation.
“That doesn’t give you too many possibilities to enter the box, but it will give you the range of passing, good physicality and a bit of a dynamism of a left foot and finding the opposition eight on the right.
“It is something I think about, maybe not too much of trying that because there is very little room at Sundowns for experimentation, but these are ideas I have in my head.
“Sometimes I get opportunities to put them on the pitch and they surprise the players because some of the ideas I come up with are crazy. This is something that I think about ‘AB’ a lot.
“We can use him as a left centre back, left fullback and maybe left half centre-back in a back three, those three positions for sure. In build-up, he can take even right centre back position because of the dynamism of finding the diagonal ball.”
In Boutouil, Mokwena said he found a good professional football player and also a good human being.
“He is a good human being, incredible athlete, good physicality, good motor qualities and very sharp tactically. He has the barrier of the language, but he understands because there is a lot of talking, lots of feedback and there is a good feeling you get when speaking to him.
“Like most of the players we have, I could speak about the technical level being extremely high, but I can also speak from a human perspective and he is a great human being.”