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| Credit/Orlando Pirates |
Dansin was the standout performer at Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday, August 1, as the defending champions began their title defence in style, with goals from Oswin Appollis and Tshepang Moremi sealing the win. It capped a breakout pre-season for the youngster, who had already worn the captain's armband in one of Pirates' warm-up friendlies in Spain.
Speaking after the match, though, Ouaddou made clear the club has no plans to rush its academy product into a bigger role than he's ready for.
"We have to be very careful. I have been in the business for a while, but the boy is doing well — we took time to bring this young talent in," Ouaddou said. "I didn't hesitate to put him in a very big game against Sundowns last season, and he scored a fantastic goal. We have detected the talent, but you don't have to burn this talent — it's step by step.
"People didn't understand why it took so much time to bring him, but we knew what we were doing."
Dansin made his senior breakthrough under Ouaddou last season, scoring a memorable equaliser on his league debut against Mamelodi Sundowns, but featured just six times in total as the coaching staff carefully managed his workload. Ouaddou also urged supporters and the media to help protect the midfielder's progress, warning that young players can quickly lose their way once outside noise takes over.
Dansin is expected to be involved again when Pirates travel to face Durban City in the MTN8 this weekend, with Ouaddou signalling the youngster's rise will continue — strictly on the club's own terms.