Hugo Broos raves over Paseka Mako following Bafana Bafana call-up

Mako is part of the final 23-man squad, announced by Broos at the SABC studios in Auckland Park on Thursday, to play international friendlies against Eswatini and Ivory Coast this month.

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One of the best left-backs in the league last season, Mako has continued where he left-off and is Bucs coach Jose Riveiro’s first-choice, with Broos now also raving about his qualities.

"First of all, he's better than last season. He plays good for the moment for Orlando Pirates. He's quick, he's very aggressive and that's what I like because he's a defender and he's very offensive also. So, this is always a quality, if you have those qualities in your team, it's also very important," Broos said.

Bafana play Eswatini at FNB Stadium on 13 October before facing the Ivorians in Abidjan four days later (17 October).

With a lot of uncertainty around the Bafana left-back position following the injury to Pirates captain Innocent Maela, Broos says selecting Mako was a no-brainer.

"Defensively, he’s not bad. The only thing that you can tell is that he's not a tall player and that can maybe sometimes be a problem if you play against teams with tall players. Certainly, as a defender, that may be the only negative thing about but it's okay. I think with the injury now of Maela he deserves to be with us."