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Johannesburg - Fresh off a 4-1 dismantling of Egyptian giants Zamalek in their CAF Champions League game last weekend, Orlando Pirates playmaker Daine Klate believes his side has a secret weapon at their disposal.
The Buccaneers faced the prospect of a Soweto derby against Kaizer Chiefs on Saturday, at FNB Stadium, in their MTN8 first leg semi-final, with Kermit Erasmus adding extra flair to their attack.
New signing Erasmus was not eligible for the Champions League match as he had been registered for SuperSport United in the CAF Confederations Cup, during the same season.
“The signing of Kermit Erasmus is a big one for us. He's a fantastic player and has a bright future ahead of him,” Klate said in Johannesburg on Thursday.
"He's an added bonus for us and we have a very good squad at this point in time.
"Kermit is definitely one individual that can change the game at any given time so it's an advantage for us to have a player of his calibre.”
Lennox Bacela, Oupa Manyisa, Sifiso Myeni and the rest of the team were also gelling well, Klate said.
Klate and Erasmus both played together at SuperSport and knew each other's game well.
“Kermit is an exceptional talent and what's amazing about Kermit is that this morning we were doing finishing and I missed a couple of chances and he told me what I'm doing wrong.
“He's younger than me, but I learn so much from him. It's unbelievable the amount of knowledge he has about the game and of certain techniques."
Klate, however, said the 23-year-old still needs to put in the hard yards to fulfil his potential.
“The one thing I'm going to do this season is I'm going to make him work hard.
“The amount of talent he has is scary. If he can add that with hard work he'll be a brilliant player.
“He can compete for player of the season.”
