• Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane has praised the Rivaldo Coetzee's performance against Bidvest Wits.
• Masandawana qualified for the Nedbank Cup final with Coetzee playing a crucial role in their victory.
• The coach wants Coetzee to come out of his shell and express himself more.

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Pitso Mosimane wants star defender-cum-midfielder Rivaldo Coetzee to add more to his game going forward.

The 23-year-old recently showed signs of the promise which saw gain the attention of Celtic in Scotland.

The move to Europe failed to transpire due to a failed medical, and after returning to Ajax Cape Town, the defender was lured to Chloorkop by Mosimane in 2017.

However, it took nearly two seasons for Coetzee to break into the Brazilians team due to a serious foot injury.

At the tail-end of last season, he started to garner minutes under his belt - it continued throughout the 2019/20 season despite one or two niggling injuries.

On Saturday, the former Ajax youth product played a pivotal role in helping the Brazilians beat Bidvest Wits 3-2 in the Nedbank Cup semi-finals.

According to Mosimane, Sundowns assistant coach Manqoba Mngqithi fought hard to have the defender involved in the opening match of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) restart.

"Thanks to coach Manqoba (Mngqithi)... you must thank coach Manqoba," Mosimane said during a post-match press conference.

"Coach Manqoba was the one fighting that Rivaldo must play in the central midfield... that's the beauty of having people work with you and advise you."

On Coetzee playing the full 90-minutes, Mosimane added: "The free-kicks that he delivers, the set-pieces, we got a penalty out of it. He whips them in. His got the technique.

"But Riva needs to come out of [his] shell. He is not a player who expresses himself a lot and that is what we are encouraging [for] him.

"We want him to play more. He played with 'KK' (Hlompho Kekana) as a six and he did very well. What a splendid performance," the coach concluded.

Sundowns are set to take on Orlando Pirates at Dobsonville Stadium on Tuesday as the Absa Premiership resumes.

Kick-off is at 18:00.