South Africa coach Molefi Ntseki has plans to travel to England and arrange a meeting with Preston North End winger Tom Barkhuizen in the hope that he will commit his international future to the South African side.
Times Live reports that Barkhuizen, who was born just down the road from his current location in Blackpool, can qualify for South Africa through his grandfather, and Ntseki is hopeful that he can convince him to play for his Grandad’s country.
He said: “We have a concern with the strikers‚ so I will use this break to go to England to speak to Tom Barkhuizen‚ his club and his family.”
“We are happy with his profiling and we want to see if he can get a SA passport and be able to come in.”
South Africa yet again struggled in front of goal, labouring to a 1-0 victory over Sudan in qualifying for the 2021 African Cup of Nations.
They were also beaten 2-0 by Ghana, and Ntseki believes that Barkhuizen may be the answer to his worries.
The Preston man has been on excellent form this season, guiding the Lilywhites to second in the Sky Bet Championship table, something that not even the most avid North End fan would have expected at the start of the season.
Barkhuizen has been key to their successes, scoring five goals and assisting the same amount for team mates, and at the age of just 26, there is plenty of time for the winger to improve and further his career.
