Bafana Bafana midfielder Furman on why he didn't become next Chelsea superstar

Former SuperSport United midfielder Dean Furman looks back at his stay in South Africa with the reigning MTN8 champions, saying it was a wonderful experience for him and his family.

The 32-year-old also explains why he could not play for Chelsea’s senior team whilst also praising his former mentor, the current Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers.

Furman also says the coronavirus pandemic has hurt his plans as he looks to secure a new move.

“I had to uproot myself and my wife, who’s from Manchester. It was daunting for her but she had a fantastic experience. I was lucky enough to lift four trophies and be in six domestic cup finals and the equivalent of the Europa League final,” Furman told The Guardian.

“You’re stopped for selfies everywhere you go.  The people are so friendly. I played for the national team and came in unknown because I was playing at Oldham [Athletic].

“I’d seen other players who’d gone down a similar path struggle to be accepted. But for some reason, the fans took to me.

“My first call-up was away to Brazil – the start of an incredible journey. You go to some incredible places. I’ve probably ticked off half of Africa. I’ve been to three Africa Cup of Nations. The last one was knocking out Egypt in Cairo.

“We had decided that we weren’t going to sign another contract in South Africa. But once we went to lockdown, it was strict.”

After joining the Blues as a nine-year-old, Furman says he was hoping to succeed in the Premier League.

“I was hoping I’d be the next superstar. But we were signing players for millions at 16. The competition in the reserves was up,” he added.

“We signed players like Scott Sinclair and Ryan Bertrand. At 18 Chelsea decided not to keep me on.

“It was an incredible time. Brendan Rodgers took over as our manager in the youth team. It’s no surprise to see how successful he has been in Scotland and with Leicester. On the pitch, everything had a structure.

“I remember the first day he came in and told us that while he was the youth team manager at Reading the reserve players wanted to train with him and so did the first team.

“His training was second to none. We were young men and he helped us grow up off the pitch.”

Speaking about Jewish players in football abroad, Furman says he would like to see more breakthrough.

“We’re few and far between. I would love to see more Jewish players. To become a pro, sacrifice is key,” he continued.

“If there was a bar mitzvah party on a Saturday night, I’d leave at 10. It was a sacrifice for my parents. My dad would come home from work at 5.30, take me from north London to Harlington for training and then bring me home.”