An Orlando Pirates coach has now broken his silence about his new job on the continent with an African national team.
Pirates U21 coach Simon Marange was confirmed as the new Zimbabwe U21 national team coach last week by the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA).
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His appointment comes shortly before the Young Warriors are set to partake in the U21 Four Nations tournament, alongside Zambia, Kenya, and hosts Malawi, later this week, although it is said that he still holds his current role in Bucs' youth academy.
Speaking on his latest appointment for the first time, Marange has insisted he will use his knowledge working at Pirates to add value to the Zim team.
"The task is very big, probably the biggest of my career so far," Marange said, according to The Herald.
"So, I am a bit nervous but looking forward to it and I am excited for the opportunity to serve the country.
"I am ready for the job and I think it is a good challenge as I feel that I can add value and bring a different application based on what I know and acquired in my experience.
"This was my job at Orlando Pirates [preparing players for professional football]. I have worked with players that are close to professional football and we call it the professional development phase where we get the players ready for the highest level and prepare them to play under pressure and consistently.
"I will apply a lot of things that I have learned at Orlando Pirates to prepare the players for the next levels, which are the U23 and senior national teams."
In the upcoming tournament, Zimbabwe are set to play against Zambia while Kenya will meet hosts Malawi, with the winners of the two semi-finals set to face off in the final.
With the Zim U21 training camp having begun last Thursday, Marange also reflected on his new squad, stating: "We have a good group of players. There is good quality and I believe we can do well at the tournament.
"We have some objectives that we have set as a team in terms of what we have done in training; to see if we can apply it in competitive football matches. That is the first step."
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