South Africa U23 head coach Raymond Mdaka has explained how Shandre Campbell will fit into his attacking plans as the national team prepares for their Olympic Games qualifiers against Madagascar.

The 20-year-old winger has returned to the U23 setup after spending time away from the team while continuing his development at club level. His return gives Mdaka another attacking option as South Africa looks to build a squad capable of competing for a place at the Olympic Games.

Campbell previously worked under Mdaka during the 2023 COSAFA Cup, where South Africa lifted the trophy. The coach is therefore familiar with the youngster and understands the qualities he can bring to the team.

His latest return also comes after he made an impression with the senior national team, Bafana Bafana, during the previous international break. Campbell was given an opportunity at senior level and contributed an assist in South Africa 1-0 victory over Egypt.

That performance further highlighted his attacking qualities and provided another reason for Mdaka to include him in the U23 squad.

Speaking about Campbell and his role in the team, Mdaka explained that the technical team wants to make use of players who are comfortable operating in different attacking positions. He believes having footballers who can play as wingers or attacking midfielders gives the team more options when building attacks and creating opportunities.

Mdaka also mentioned Kaizer Chiefs youngster Mfundo Vilakazi and Mamelodi Sundowns attacker Kutlwano Letlaku as players who can operate in different positions.

“I have been with Shandre since our COSAFA years, that’s correct, we know him well. What we have done as a technical team; most of our attackers, who can play as wings or 10s, Mfundo \[Vilakazi\] plays at Chiefs as a winger, we play him 10 at times,” Mdaka explained.

The coach continued by highlighting the versatility of Letlaku, who normally operates as a winger at Sundowns but can also be used in an attacking midfield role.

“We have Kutlwano \[Letlaku\] who plays as a winger at Sundowns, sometimes we play him at 10, we then have Shandre, it helps in terms of movements up front – to say at any moment, we can interchange in attack – they can always give us results,” he added.

Mdaka believes this flexibility will be important as South Africa prepares for the upcoming qualifiers. Instead of relying on attackers who remain in fixed positions throughout a match, the technical team wants players who can move into different areas and interchange roles when necessary.

Campbell's ability to operate from wide attacking positions gives South Africa another option, while his experience with the senior national team adds further value to the squad.

The presence of Vilakazi and Letlaku also means Mdaka has several young attacking players who can offer different solutions depending on the demands of a particular match.

The coach will now look to bring these attacking options together as South Africa prepares to face Madagascar. The qualifiers represent an important step in the country's efforts to reach the Olympic Games, with Mdaka hoping his players can deliver the performances needed to progress.

For Campbell, the return to the U23 squad also provides an opportunity to continue building his relationship with Mdaka while contributing to another national team assignment after his recent involvement with Bafana Bafana.

Source: IDiskiTimes