Bafana Bafana legend Doctor Khumalo has shut down the suggestion Kaizer Chiefs' young players are under pressure at the club.
Amakhosi are steadily finding their feet in the Betway Premiership, with three wins from their last five matches.
It's an improvement from their run that saw them win on one match five outings between November and December. Among many of the criticisms placed on head coach Nabi and his technical team, was the 'over-reliance' on young players.
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Wandile Duba (20) has featured in every match Chiefs has played this season, while Mduduzi Shabalala (21) and Mfundo Vilakazi (19), have featured in over 90% of the team's matches.
Some sections of the football community, including former Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mnqgithi, have previously expressed concern over the pressure placed on these players' shoulders.
However, speaking at the Castle Lager Castle Lager and Kitchener's media launch on Thursday, Khumalo insisted that the club has not put any pressure on the players.
"Kaizer Chiefs is not putting any player under pressure or do they intend to lose games or win games or find themselves in this situation? It's a phase that they're going through, it once happened," Khumalo told journalists.
"The youngsters because they are fielding them, they are playing so it looks like they are putting pressure. Why would you be thinking that they're putting pressure on them? If that were the case then, would you say they put pressure on me on my first game against [Orlando] Pirates, no; it was growth.
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"These boys will grow slowly but surely, but this cannot be achieved by people at the village; I'm talking about the coach, the players, the management and everyone working at the village. It's collectively, even the supporters need to play their role.
"The supporters need to play their role in contributing to the growth of the young players that are at the club.
"These young boys, they have gadgets. You supporters you put them under pressure. Just limit the negative things that you say on social media, then let's see if it's going to work," Khumalo said.