South Africa boss Hugo Broos hailed 'powerful' Rangers-bound defender Olwethu Makhanya after his impact in the MLS.
And he believes Makhanya has all the attributes needed to be a top class stopper.
The Ibrox club are closing in on the £5 million purchase of the Philadelphia Union star, who was in the South Africa squad for the World Cup, although he didn't make an appearance during the tournament.
But the Bafana Bafana boss Broos believes the 22-year-old will be a big player for his country in the future, after he called him for the Finals despite Makhanya being previously uncapped.
He said: "We were already thinking about calling Olwethu in March for our friendly against Panama, but for other reasons he was not there.
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"We still followed him, so we know very well how our players are performing in their teams and he deserved his call-up for the World Cup.
"The performances of Olwethu Makhanya in America have been very good.
"He is playing every minute with his team.
"He is a good defender, he is tall, he is powerful and those are very important things in modern football.
"It's clear he has all the qualities needed and he will be an important player for South Africa moving forward."
And the defender revealed why he now feels comfortable playing on the left or right hand side of central defence
Makhanya explained: "I am naturally right-footed, but earlier in my career I injured my right foot.
"I didn’t want to stop playing so I had to force myself to play with my left.
"From that moment onwards, I feel equally at home playing with either foot."
