Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou admits 'sometimes I can be hard with him' as he celebrates Lebone Seema's Bafana Bafana call up

Lebone Seema is reaching new heights at Orlando Pirates, and his stellar form has been rewarded with a spot in Pitso Mosimane’s final Bafana Bafana squad for the upcoming AFCON qualifiers.

Following the Buccaneers' 2-0 victory over Durban City at the Orlando Stadium on Thursday, a match in which Seema got himself on the scoresheet, head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou was quick to praise the defender.

"First of all, I really congratulate him and all the other members of the team who have been called to the national team."

"I thank as well Pitso [Mosimane] to call him. It means that he was following his work since last season."

"He's the future,’’ Ouaddou said, per Soccer Laduma.

The Bafana call-up did not come as a surprise to Ouaddou, who believes Seema possesses the mentality required to continue improving at the highest level of the game.

The Moroccan tactician detailed his specific coaching methods, admitting that he has frequently pushed the young star to the limit during their time together.

"But I'm not surprised he's somebody that has the good mentality, professional, coachable."

"It's very important for me because to improve, you need to be coachable and you need to be able to understand and to listen."

"He starts to know me now. Sometimes I can be hard with him."

"Last season, I was really, really hard with him. But for his good, for his performance, we spoke a lot, we worked a lot about the quality of his passes, the alternation of short passes, long passes, the duels," the coach added.

The coach believes those details have played a massive role in Seema’s continued progression, with the defender now preparing to take his development into the international arena.

Ouaddou is confident that Seema's ability to absorb tactical instructions will serve him well under Pitso Mosimane’s guidance in the national setup.

"But of course, like you said, he has a lot of matches of progression."

"I'm really, really happy. Our technical staff and the club are very happy about this call."

"I hope he's going to continue and to bring us this experience as well from the national team.”

As South Africa prepares for their crucial AFCON qualifiers against Guinea and Eritrea, Seema represents a new generation of talent emerging under Mosimane’s tenure.

The Pirates defender is seen as a long-term solution for the national team’s defensive line, especially given his versatility and ball-playing ability.

With Ouaddou promising to keep the pressure high back at Mayfair, the defender is unlikely to become complacent.

The upcoming international break provides the perfect platform for the youngster to prove his worth among the elite of South African football.

"He's the future of South Africa. We have such talent in that position in South Africa. I hope this call will give him confidence to continue to work, to grow. Again, thanks to Pitso to see his qualities," Ouaddou concluded.

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