Mphela: I was never Pitso's favourite

The Mamelodi Sundowns striker remained the country's first-choice striker despite some testing times, leading to some fans arguing that ‘Killer' was only in the side due to his good relationship with Mosimane.

However, Mphela insists that was never the case and has vowed to prove his critics wrong by keeping his Bafana jersey under new coach Gordon Igesund.

"I was with Bafana Bafana and scoring goals even before Pitso was the head coach," he tells KickOff.com. "Really, I can't understand why people say I was Pitso's favourite player.

"Every South African player deserves to play for the national team, so long he performs well for his club. I am ready to continue working hard and scoring goals if given a chance to play under Gordon Igesund."

Mphela also announces that is now back at training after recovering from a knee operation.

"I am okay now and not feeling any pain," he says. "I should start training with the team this week."

Sundowns have brought in a number of new signings, but rather than worry about the competition, Mphela has welcomed it.

"I am happy with all the new signings; they bring healthy competition which is good for the team. I believe that all the signings were needed."

He adds: "I watched the team playing against Kaizer Chiefs and think we will do better than we did last season. We looked good at the back and our midfield is so strong."