Ntseki to get the ball rolling in recruiting Preston striker for Bafana

Preston North End forward Thomas Barkhuizen could soon turn up in South African colours, if a meeting planned by Bafana coach Molefi Ntseki yields the desired result.

The 26-year-old was born in England, but qualifies to play for South Africa through his grandfather, who was born in the country.

Ntseki looking at fresh options

His name has been a feature in future plans for Bafana, dating back to fellow Brit, Stuart Baxter’s tenure at the helm.

Since taking over, Ntseki has revived interest in potentially roping the player in.

Speaking over the weekend, the Bafana coach revealed that the technical team will use the next few months in looking at new players to bring into the setup.

“We had a technical meeting and we were discussing and profiling the team. Part of the things we spoke about was that we need to have players who can come into the team and help the current players,” said Ntseki.

“If you look at Kamo (Mokotjo) and Dean (Furman), these are the two obvious choices in the team. We want to profile maybe two players that can come in, so it is important for us to look for such positions. We have Teboho Mokoena, Sipho Mbule and Athenkosi Dlala, but we need to look for more in this position because you need a defensive midfielder to close up the game in certain instances.”

Molefi Ntseki

Thomas Barkhuizen could bolster problem area

While Bafana have looked spoilt for choice with regards to strike options, those riches have not exactly translated to a flurry of goals.

Ntseki is looking to bring Barkhuizen over to bolster the forward line.

“In the attacking force we have Bradley Grobler, but we also need to get somebody who will also be helping. This break I will use it to go to England, to speak to Thomas Barkhuizen, to the club and the family and see if he can get a South African passport because we have a concern with strikers. In the local league, we are looking for natural defensive midfielders.”

Molefi Ntseki

Barkhuizen has had a fruitful season for Preston in the English Championship, mostly alternating between playing in a central role on attack as well as operating out wide.

In all competitions, he has played 17 times, netting seven goals to help his side up to second place behind West Bromwich Albion in the league.