- Nauseb is of the view that Ndengu can be as good as Shalulile
- The retired midfielder urged Motaung Jr to keep an eye on Ndengu
- Chiefs are currently in the market for new strikers
WHAT HAPPENED? Nauseb feels Nehemia Lenin Ndengu, who plies his trade in the Namibian Premier League for Shalulile's former club Tura Magic, is good enough to play for Chiefs.
Since leaving Tura for Highlands Park in 2015, Shalulile has gone on to establish himself as one of the best strikers in the country and the Mamelodi Sundowns star has won the Premier Soccer League Golden Boot award twice.
Nauseb, who was on the books of Chiefs between 1997 and 2001, pleaded with Amakhosi's sporting director Kaizer Motaung Junior and the club to keep an eye on Ndengu.
WHAT DID NAUSEB SAY?: “There is a striker that I saw here but he plays for another club. I want to take him to [Kaizer] Chiefs. That boy for me will be the next Peter Shalulile. He has similar attributes. The speed and everything," Nauseb told This Is Football.
"The only difference between him and Peter is that Peter is a hard worker. But he’s got goals in him. I saw him here and he just started playing in the Premier League and he’s only 23 years old. I saw him playing for the same team that Peter used to play for [Tura Magic].
"I’m trying to find out who the player’s agent is before I try and do something with [Kaizer Motaung] Junior. They can have a look at the boy and then take it from there. I'm looking at four years back and the boy was 19 years old so he has lost four years of his development in football," he continued.
“I mean he’s 23 but what I really saw, it caught my eye. Even if it means I ask them [Chiefs] to send a scout to come and watch the boy and then we can take it from there. I know for a fact that boy won’t stay here long. The boy is good.
“They were playing a tournament and I was bored so I just drove there and went to sit down. Five minutes after I watched the game I saw that this player would go somewhere. In five minutes that’s what I saw. I saw something in him. Nauseb further added that there were chances that Ndengu would start getting the national team selections attention going forward," he added.
“He’s not in the national team yet but I spoke to the national team coach and he says he wants to call him to have a closer look at him. I’m also confident that by next year, 100% the boy will be playing in the Cosafa tournament and if it’s in South Africa, it will be easier for Chiefs to see the player and invite him for trials."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Chiefs are known to be in the market for new strikers as they lacked depth in their striking department this term.
Coach Arthur Zwane has confirmed that they are currently profiling strikers as they look to beef up their squad with Bonfils-Caleb Bimenyimana and Ashley du Preez being the club's only senior strikers.
The Soweto giants are likely to sign one or two strikers during next month's mid-season transfer window.
WHAT IS NEXT FOR SUNDOWNS?: Amakhosi are currently preparing for their upcoming PSL encounter against Lamontville Golden Arrows
The match will take place at Moses Mabhida Stadium on December 31.