Bafana Bafana boss Stuart Baxter says he can’t guarantee Cape Town City striker Kermit Erasmus a place in his Afcon plans.
Erasmus was named in Baxter’s 30-man provisional squad on Tuesday and will compete with the likes of Percy Tau, Lebogang Maboe and Sibusiso Vilakazi for place in the final 23-man group going to Egypt later this month.
The 28-year-old has caught the eye since joining Benni McCarthy from Portuguese club Vitoria de Setubal in January, scoring three PSL goals.
The South Africa coach reveals that he had a deep conversation with coach Benni over Erasmus, who has shown his undoubted talent only in fits and spurts over his career.
But with the left-footed star playing in similar positions to Bafana talisman Tau, he has a long way to go to convince Baxter to ink his name to the final name in the squad and add to his 14 international caps.
COMPETITION: Bafana ace Percy Tau. Photo: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix.
The Scotsman boss says: “Kermit is one of the players that have been around us.
“We chose not to include him in previous camps because I always felt it was too quick.
“Prior to the last camp, I had a long conversation with [City coach] Benni McCarthy because I thought he had done a good job with Kermit.
“But I told Benni that I couldn’t guarantee Kermit that place in Bafana Bafana and I thought when he came back, he should be really well equipped and I think he understands the situation now.”