'This is not the future': almost no chance Broos will call up Lorch for Bafana

There is basically no chance Hugo Broos will consider calling Thembinkosi Lorch up any time soon given the Bafana Bafana coach's view that he has younger options in the Wydad Athletic player's position and says he "is not the future". The 32-year-old former Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns star's final chance at being drafted into Bafana's squad for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals in December and January realistically passed when he was not named in Broos' 23-player combination for this month's friendly against Zambia. The match at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on November 15 is one of the final warm-ups Bafana will have for the Afcon in Morocco, where, after a best finish in 24 years of third in Ivory Coast last year and further confidence-boosting qualification for next year's World Cup, South Africa might even be considered dark horses. Broos, asked as he announced his squad at Safa House in Nasrec on Thursday about Lorch's form at Wydad and to clarify his position on whether the winger or striker has a role to play in Bafana, made it quite clear he does not. The coach's famed youth emphasis, at a time when burgeoning young talents are finally emerging again in South Africa after a long drought, were the main reasons given. "You have to make choices, that's so," Broos said. "And Lorch was once with us, I think three years ago when we played in Morocco [in a 2-1 Afcon qualifying defeat in Rabat in June 2022] and he was playing very well for Pirates then. But his performance [for Bafana] was not good. "And then I followed him and he played and he didn't play and then at Pirates he fell out of the team. Then he went to Sundowns because Rulani [Mokwena] wanted him, but after a few months he didn't play any more. "So OK, now he is playing well in Morocco, but you also have to look at his age. This is not the future, I'm very sorry. "And if I didn't have other opportunities [with other candidates in Lorch's role], OK, maybe I should select him - maybe. "But it also happened four years ago with [another veteran] Themba [Zwane] and I wanted to look for [other younger] opportunities, but I didn't find them and I brought him back. And it was a very good decision because you saw what happened with the team then. "Bu again, for Lorch, even if he has good performances in Morocco, I don't see any reason why I should select him." Wydad, one of the strongest teams on the continent in the late 2010s and early 2020s, suffered three underachieving seasons where they finished second, sixth and third in Morocco's Botola. They appear to be back on form leading the top flight this campaign, though only seven games have been played. Lorch has scored four goals in eight games in all competitions and three in six in the league. Broos was also asked about Gift Links, one of the best players at Aarhus GF who top the Danish Superliga with 31 points from 14 games. Broos was more succinct and blunt on why he has not reconsidered recalling Links, saying only: "I don't think Links has the level in Bafana Bafana." Links, 26, has scored twice playing mostly at left wingback in all 14 of Aarhus's SuperLiga clashes.