Kwanele Kopo backs Sundowns loanee to shine at AmaTuks

Kwanele Kopo backs Sundowns loanee to shine at AmaTuks

University of Pretoria coach Kwanele Kopo believes the quality of attacker Jody Ah Shene will soon shine through once the youngster fully settles into his new surroundings.

AmaTuks have benefited from Mamelodi Sundowns’ decision to loan the player to their lower division rivals rather than sending him back to Cape Town City for the remainder of the campaign following the sale.

Kopo revealed he is carefully managing the integration of the SA U20 international, easing him into a different competitive environment.

"I think any youngster who performs well at an international tournament would obviously like an international transfer, and I think that was his ambition.

"We haven't had any challenges with him, he has been in a good frame of mind. He struggled in the first couple of weeks with the altitude, but from a mentality perspective its been positive and he is a quality player - there's no doubt about that but it's going to take time."

READ: Hunt picks out Chumani Butsaka for praise in Chiefs win

The coach added that he’s already had a discussion with Ah Shene about his future.

Meanwhile, Kopo also reiterated his stance on the three-year project at AmaTuks for promotion as the focus switches back to the Motsepe Foundation Championship after they were eliminated from the Nedbank Cup.

"I've said from the beginning, that when I joined TUKS, I joined a project. It's a three year project with the objective of promotion, but this year we have a completely new team with a completely new style. We have acknowledged that we have been underperforming for the quality we possess on the field, and there's a number of factors that have caused that."