Olwethu Makhanya is a defender of the highest class, according to former Scotland international Alan Hutton.
Makhanya made his full debut for Pitso Mosimane-led Bafana Bafana over the weekend, featuring in their 2-1 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Guinea at Orlando Stadium.
The 22-year-old delivered a top-class performance by all accounts as he partnered Ime Okon at the back. It was particularly significant given that high-profile defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi was unavailable due to injury.
“Olwethu Makhanya is the Rolls-Royce of a defender. He never looks like he breaks a sweat,” Hutton told IOL courtesy of FootballPredictions.com.
The youngster is currently turning heads for Scottish Premiership giants Rangers. Makhanya was secured by Rangers in July and has already racked up a series of standout performances that have certainly not gone unnoticed.
“I think he’s going from strength to strength. He’s probably right now Rangers’ best signing, I’d say, in terms of the consistent quality that he gives game after game,” Hutton added.
“He’s very consistent, and against Celtic he was excellent. He’s been asked at this moment in time to play in a back three, which is really quite wide, so defensively he has to be on point in terms of his 1v1 defending. But not only that—when he’s breaking forward, he’s doing it with real confidence, breaking lines, and executing passes.”
Hutton also hinted that even though the South African star has only just arrived at Ibrox, bigger clubs could soon come knocking.
“The problem with that is when you’re playing at such a high level, you understand that other teams will naturally be looking at you. He’s only just arrived at the club, but you get the feeling that he’s only going to get better. He’s had a fantastic start to his Rangers career, and let’s just hope he can continue in this vein.”
@MichaelSherman
IOL Sport
