Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune has revealed that he was one of the players who spoke to Thulani Serero in a bid to bring him back into the national team fold.

Serero refused a call-up last year as he demanded reassurances on his playing time and, as a result, a year-long hiatus from the South African national team began.

The Dutch-based midfielder has, however, shone for Vitesse FC this season and after talks with Bafana coach Stuart Baxter, he is back in the squad and could play against Nigeria in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier at the FNB Stadium on Saturday.

Speaking in the buildup to the clash against the Super Eagles, Khune was asked about how the players felt about Serero’s return.

‘Luckily, when we meet at Bafana, we become friends and family. He [Serero] realises that he is still young and has a lot to offer, so we had some calls with him and he said he would speak with the coach and Safa,’ Khune said.

‘We stay in the same area in the west of Johannesburg. He is just one robot away from me. Every time he is around, I go to his house and he comes to my house, so we share a lot and we are brothers.’

The keeper also revealed that players found out about Serero’s decision to decline a call-up through the media, but there are no hard feelings among them.

‘When the situation happened, we learned about it through the media and did not know what happened, but in the end it was the decision of the coach, Thulani and Safa,’ concluded Khune.

Photo: Gerhard Duraan/BackpagePix