Relebohile Mofokeng's flying start in Belgium for Royale Union St. Gilloise (RUSG) has put to rest former South Africa boss Hugo Broos' doubts over whether or not he would be ready for the Jupiler Pro League in the first six months.
President Yama2k's total dominance of Belgian defences has also confirmed that, while young, Mofokeng is ready to carry more responsibility for South Africa.
Broos handed Mofokeng his Bafana breakthrough but hesitated to build an attack around him. The attacking midfielder/winger started only one of South Africa's four Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) games in Morocco in December & January, and then two out of four at the FIFA World Cup - going off at half-time in the 1-0 round of 32 loss to Canada which saw them eliminated.
When Mofokeng, 21, departed for RUSG, Broos told SABC Sport: "I think it's a good thing for him. I think he will progress, but I also think that you don't have to expect that from the first day, he will play, because Rele has to be stronger.
"It's a very tough competition in Belgium - so I think in the first five to six months, they will put him in fitness, he will get a little bit stronger - and he's a talented player, so once he has the power that he needs for such a competition, there will be no problem."
However, Mofokeng has played five of league leaders RUSG's first six Jupiler Pro League games, scoring three times. He also appeared in a UEFA Champions League qualification loss to Bodø/Glimt, and in the Belgian Supercup win over Club Brugge.
If Broos was correct about anything, it was that there remained a gap between Mofokeng's output and potential. His former Orlando Pirates head coach, Abdeslam Ouaddou, had alluded to it too - encouraging Mofokeng to become more efficient.
However, Broos was clearly incorrect about how much his attacking midfielder/winger was already capable of -- and thus critics who questioned the basis of his sparing deployment during the World Cup in particular have been vindicated.
Every coach has to make decisions, and Broos undoubtedly carried Bafana Bafana forward during his tenure spanning more than five years, so if he made a mistake by not trusting Mofokeng quite enough, it is no longer worth dwelling on.
What is more important is that his successor, Pitso Mosimane, can see that Mofokeng is ready to handle the pressure of carrying his attack on the international stage.
Neither of South Africa's two goals at the FIFA World Cup came from strikers. One (in the 1-1 draw against Czechia) was netted by Teboho Mokoena and the other (in the 1-0 win over South Korea) by Thapelo Maseko.
Mosimane will be all too aware that Bafana's striker crisis cannot be solved at the drop of a hat. Therefore, it is vital that he has players elsewhere on the pitch who can provide goals.
He will have to decide whether to use Mofokeng on either flank or behind the striker in the no.10 role, and devise plans for him to combine with whoever he opts to start upfront in order to unlock defences.
Mofokeng's former Orlando Pirates teammate, Yanela Mbuthuma, has been playing regularly for Orlando Pirates, which could count in his favour as Mosimane mulls who to hand significant responsibility upfront to in AFCON qualifiers against Guinea (Sep. 26) and Eritrea (Sep. 30). The friendly against Egypt on Oct. 4 could give him more license to experiment.
There is no obvious answer regarding who to start upfront, but what is clear is that alongside or behind the striker, Mofokeng should no longer merely be an impact player for Bafana Bafana. He should be given proper time on the field to grow into the leadership role he appears destined for.
