Bidvest Wits have announced that they have promoted eight youngsters including South Africa youth international Keenan Phillips.
The promising defender was part of the South Africa under-20 team, also known as Amajita, at the 2019 Fifa U20 World Cup finals in Poland.
The Clever Boys released the following statement on Friday as they prepare for the resumption of the 2019/20 season which has been suspended since March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"Bidvest Wits have promoted eight players from the club’s reserves ahead of the resumption of the 2019/20 Premier Soccer League season," a club statement read.
"The Clever Boys will return to action for the first time in five months on the 8th of August with a Nedbank Cup semifinal clash against Mamelodi Sundowns, before kicking off a run of nine Absa Premiership fixtures in 25 days away to Kaizer Chiefs at Orlando Stadium on the 12th.
"The club’s MultiChoice Diski Challenge team enjoyed a superb campaign and were top of the standings before COVID-19 resulted in the season being called off."
Wits head coach Gavin Hunt has decided to strengthen his squad having already promoted Rowan Human and Solly Khunyedi during the current campaign.
"With the aim of finishing the top-flight season on a high and taking the number of fixtures in quick succession into consideration, head coach Gavin Hunt has rewarded eight academy players with a chance at first-team football," the statement added.
"This takes the total number of MDC players that have been promoted to the first team up to 10 for the season. Rowan Human and Solly Khunyedi have both played for the club’s first team during the course of the current campaign."
The Clever Boys have promoted Lisakhanya Mlonyeni, Mpho Mathebula, Cuwen Prince, Kabelo Makola, Janovane September, Deon Horn, Malik Mashinini as well as Phillips.
The octet will be hoping to help the Braamfontein-based side secure a top-three finish on the PSL standings in order to qualify for next season's Caf Confederation Cup or Caf Champions League.
Wits are currently placed sixth on the league standings - two points behind third-placed SuperSport United, but the former have three games in hand.
