National U23 coach Owen Da Gama has likened Mamelodi Sundowns winger Keagan Dolly to Brazil superstar Neymar following his rampant display for the senior team against Gambia. 

Bafana Bafana recorded an emphatic 4-0 victory over their hosts in a game that ultimately proved meaningless as Bafana crashed out of Afcon 2017. Nevertheless, De Gama was full of praise for the young star, who is set to take a leave of absence from the Cosafa Cup tournament, reports KickOff.

‘He [Dolly] won’t be at Cosafa, we’ve got to respect Sundowns. There’s got to be a compromise and we know what he’s about as well,’ said Da Gama.

‘As much as Brazil respect Neymar, we respect Dolly. Neymar is not part of the friendly matches [for Brazil] so we understand that it’s important to reach that compromise with Sundowns as well.’

Asked whether Dolly’s magnificent performance served to support the Neymar comparison, Da Gama was quick to assert it did.

‘That’s the South African Neymar. I don’t care what anybody says! He is just absolutely fantastic.’

Dolly managed nine goals and eight assists for Sundowns from 41 appearances across all competitions this season.