Warriors team manager, Wellington Mpandare, has urged players who will take part in the Council of Southern African Football Associations (COSAFA) to take the opportunity head on and showcase their talent.
The Warriors, who have won the COSAFA Castle Cup four times, left yesterday in the evening for the 2017 edition of the tournament ahead of their first clash against Mozambique on Monday.
Speaking to Soccer24, Mpandare said the final travelling squad is raring to go and make an impression at competition being held in North West province in South Africa.
“The boys are well prepared for the game you know they want to impress. It’s a good tournament, you know, for the boys because they get the chance to showcase their talent and probably get a chance to be seen by some scouts who will be there, and it will be good for the country as well if we can export more talent,” said Mpandare.
“Obviously all the guys who have been picked, all the 20 players who are going to South Africa are all prepared to start, and are willing to get the best for the country and also have a chance to showcase their talent to the whole world.”
Mpandare urged young players participating at the tournament to emulate the 26-year-old Warriors captain and Belgian side KV Oostende striker, Knowledge Musona, who has gone on from being a junior player in division one to being the most lauded player in the current Warriors set up.
“If you look at the way Knowledge Musona is playing now, from division one, and now he is the top ranked player for Zimbabwe; if we can have more players playing outside, it will augur well for our national team,” he added.
The team manager also said that no one in the final squad, captained by Dynamos fullback, Ocean Mushure, and Amazulu midfielder, Ovidy Karuru, has sustained any late injuries or niggles ahead of the trip and took off in good shape yesterday.
“So far so good . . . [for all] the 20 players in camp . . .
“. . . we expect to have our first training [session] in South Africa in the morning (today) and then our first game will be against Mozambique on Monday,” he said.