Jomo Sono Gives Rulani Mokwena Advice on How to Handle Mamelodi Sundowns Star

• Jomo Sono is the uncle of Mamelodi Sundowns' master tactician, Rulani Mokwena
• Mokwena is preparing his team for the Nedbank Cup tie against Maritzburg United
• Themba Zwane's age has been a topic of discussion between the pair of managers

With each season, Mamelodi Sundowns have to manage the squad carousel.

Shuffling out ageing players is a fact of footballing fact, although some players give their clubs invaluable longevity.

Themba Zwane is so loved by the club and Masandawana's followers, that thinking of a time without him is a difficult exercise.

Rulani Mokwena has spoken about the seemingly impossible task of replacing Mshishi and how he is lucky to have a pillar of South African football to lean on.

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The Sundowns boss stated how a 'family member' advised him never to place Zwane on the bench, and his uncle Jomo Sono's words have proven inspirational.

Zwane is in his mid-30s and while still operating at an exemplary level, will need replacing at some stage. TimesLive relayed Mokwena's thoughts on that eventuality, who said:

"I am not going to attempt to replace Mshishi because it is impossible. He is a generational talent and he is a good person. It will be another 10 to 15 years until you find someone who will play and maybe surpass Mshishi."

Other than a brief spell at Mpumalanga Black Aces, Zwane has spent his entire professional career at Sundowns.

He is approaching 400 appearances for Masandawana and has scored almost 80 goals for the club, adding 58 assists in the process, as per TransferMarkt.

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With Sundowns, he has every trophy on offer and still has the opportunity to help earn the 2023/24 team the 'invincibles' tag, should they avoid defeat in their last 12 DStv Premiership fixtures.

Next for Sundowns is the visit of Maritzburg United in the Nedbank Cup before a trip to Tanzania to face Young Africans in the CAF Champions League.

Rulani Mokwena explains Shalulile omission

Sports Brief recently reported on Mokwena's explanation for leaving key forwards out of the Tshwane Derby.

Gaston Sirino and Matias Esquivel were chosen to start, replacing Peter Shalulile and Lucas Ribeiro Costa.

The anticipated clash with SuperSport United ended in an exciting 1-1 draw at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.