Nasreddine Nabi Confirms That Bafana Bafana Star Has Joined Kaizer Chiefs First Team

• Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi has confirmed the addition of a Bafana Bafana star to the Amakhosi first team after their win over Mamelodi Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup
• There have been calls for the addition of the South African international to Kaizer Chiefs' first team since his performance for Bafana Bafana
• The Tunisian tactician revealed that two of his players featured against the Brazilians in the semi-final with injuries

Kaizer Chiefs are still basking in the euphoria of their victory over Mamelodi Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup semi-final at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Sunday evening.

The Glamour Boys ended a poor run of games against the Pretoria giants, as they secured their first win over the Brazilians this season with a comeback win thanks to a late goal from Ashley Du Preez.

Another piece of good news for Amakhosi fans is that Nasreddine Nabi has confirmed that a Bafana Bafana star has joined the club's first team after two of their players played against Masandawana with injuries.

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Nabi confirms addition of Bafana Bafana star in Kaizer Chiefs' first team

According to FARPost, Nabi, in an interview after the match, confirmed that some of his players played the game with injuries.

Inacio Miguel missed the tie due to injury, and the Tunisian mentor went with a three-man defence of Edmilson Dove, Given Msimango and Bradley Cross.

“Maybe before the game, we didn’t discuss injured players,” the Kaizer Chiefs head coach told journalists.

“But maybe now it’s time to say that before this game, we lost Miguel [Inacio]. Then we were unlucky with [Edmilson] Dove and Zitha [Kwinika]—all of them also got injured.

"Dove “played with an injury” while Kwinika also struggled with an injury."

With injuries to some of the top defenders in the team, Nabi confirmed that Aden McCarthy has joined the Kaizer Chiefs first team from the club's DDC side.

“For that, we try to add Aden [McCarthy]. He’s with us. He is training with the senior team,” he added.

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McCarthy has been one of the best players for Kaizer Chiefs in the DStv Diski Challenge league this season, and his performance earned him a place in Molefi Ntseki's South Africa's CHAN side that defeated Egypt recently.

The South African defender's performance for Bafana Bafana against the Pharaohs led to talks about him leaving the Soweto giants if he's not promoted or added to the first team.

Three Premier Soccer League sides have also shown interest in pricing the 21-year-old defender away from Amakhosi in the summer, but it looks like Kaizer Chiefs will reject those advances now that the Bafana Bafana star is with the first team.

Aden McCarthy's profile

Aden McCarthy, a 21-year-old central defender, is the son of former Chiefs stalwart Fabian McCarthy.

The youngster is making significant strides in his football career with Kaizer Chiefs and has been part of the club's development system from a young age.

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He captained the DStv Diski Challenge (DDC) team and was instrumental in their Diski Shield victory in 2022.

McCarthy named in Chiefs matchday squad

In December 2021, at just 17, McCarthy was named in Kaizer Chiefs (senior team) matchday squad against Sekhukhune United during a COVID-19 crisis.

This marked a significant milestone in his career. Although the youngster didn't get to feature in the game, he was quick to express his gratitude on social media.

McCarthy's development continued with a trial at Sheriff Tiraspol in Moldova, which he described as a mentally enriching experience:

"The experience I had in Moldova? It’s helped me grow, to help me grow mentally more than physically... it’s more about the technical quality."

His consistent performances and leadership qualities have now earned him a promotion to Kaizer Chiefs' first team, where he aims to make a significant impact.

Nabi opens up on his half-time talks with Chiefs players

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Briefly News previously reported that Nabi unveiled what he told Kaizer Chiefs stars at half-time during their comeback win over Mamelodi Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup semis.

The Tunisian mentor claimed he believed it was their game to lose despite going behind before the half-time whistle.

Nomso Obiajuru was a contributing writer in this article

Source: Briefly News