South African youngster gets second chance to impress in Sweden

15 July 2016 - 13:27 By Nick Said

South African youngster Ziyaad Basson is to have a second training stint at Swedish side GAIS in the next few weeks.The forward impressed on his first trip to Sweden last month‚ but had to return to South Africa when his visa expired.GAIS were impressed with him though and asked the player to return for a second look before they make a decision on the 21-year-old.Basson already has two compatriots at GAIS‚ a second-tier club that has formed a relationship with Farouk Khan’s Stars of Africa Academy in Johannesburg. Winger-cum-striker Luther Singh has been a major hit during his time in Sweden‚ so much so that it was revealed this week he had garnered interest from Real Madrid’s ‘B’ team.Junior international midfielder Pule Maraisane is another at GAIS‚ though his impact has not been as great.Basson impressed GAIS sporting director Fredrik Mohlin‚ who enjoys the attacking quality they bring to a Swedish league that can at times be one-dimensional.“He's clearly an exciting player and a good guy too. It's fun to get acquainted with the players from the Stars of Africa Academy‚” Mohlin told gp.se.Sweden has been a fine breeding ground for some of Bafana Bafana’s top players in recent years‚ including forward Tokelo Rantie and May Mahlangu.Tefu Mashamaite‚ Mark and Mihlali Mayambela‚ Xolani Mdaki‚ Ayanda Nkili‚ Junaid Sait‚ Sive Phekezela‚ Ebrahim Seedat and Surprise Ralani are others who have played in the country in the last three years alone. - TMG Digital..

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