Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou on preference of Boitumelo Radiopane over Evidence Makgopa: It's all about competition for the places

Abdeslam Ouaddou mentions competition at Orlando Pirates as the reason behind playing Boitumelo Radiopane ahead of Evidence Makgopa.

Ouaddou was responding to questions on the absence of Makgopa from the match-day squad which won 3-1 against AmaZulu on Saturday.

The win at the Orlando Amstel Arena saw Pirates climb to the top of the PSL standings as Radiopane replaced Yanela Mbuthuma just nine minutes after the hour mark.

"He was working for a long time, trying to come back, if you remember, just before going to the break, he played in the Black Label All-Star game. He scored and did a really good performance. He was giving his best in the training. We thought with the staff that it was the moment to give him some time. We manage the group like that," Ouaddou told the media.

"In terms of game time, it's important for a striker to be competitive in terms of game time. We thought that for Evidence Makgopa, the fact that he needed more time, maybe a full-time game, 90 minutes, in terms of competitiveness, was important. We brought in Radiopane. I think it gave him the confidence as well to be with the team. It's been a long time since being with the group as well. It means a lot for him to see that the technical staff is looking to him."