Rhulani Mokwena: Rushine de Reuck isn’t Motjeka Madisha’s replacement

Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Rhulani Mokwena has rubbished claims that the club signed Rushine de Reuck as a replacement for the late Motjeka Madisha.

Rushine de Reuck joined the Braziians on a five-year deal from Maritzburg United last Friday.

And ironically, this was 24 hours after the family’s confirmation that Madisha had indeed passed away in that horrific car accident which took place in Chloorkop at the start of the year.

However, the former Chippa United mentor said Madisha cannot, in any way, be replaced, adding that the two players possess different qualities.    

“It becomes difficult because I see a lot of people saying he is a replacement for Madisha. It is difficult to replace Madisha,” Mokwena told the media ahead of Sundowns’ Nedbank Cup match against Stellenbosch FC on Wednesday.   

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“He had already played in the Club World Cup. He had already played in the Caf Champions League at that age but De Reuck has come in, and he has good qualities.

“I don’t think we will replace him, and I don’t think De Reuck with his qualities, and concerning the profile he has, I don’t think he will be a replacement for Madisha. If you look at Madisha’s profile already by 23, it is something you don’t get in this country,” he said.

“We’ve seen him at Maritzburg United although the way of playing at Maritzburg, of course, is different under different coaches,” added Mokwena.  

Furthermore, Mokwena is confident De Reuck will fit in well at Sundowns, revealing the technical team did their homework on the centre-back.

“We’ve done our homework, and we’ve looked at the profile of the player. He is very strong aerially. We got one of the best centre-backs in the country, and with his age, he has a lot of potential,” he continued.

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De Reuck is not available for selection as he’s yet to train with his new teammates due to a niggling injury, according to the Sundowns co-coach.  

“Unfortunately, he has not started training with us,” confirmed Mokwena.  

He concluded: “There was a lot of paperwork that needed to be completed and a lot of medical examinations. When we got him, he had an injury before he played a previous match for Maritzburg. We are happy that he has joined us.”