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Cape Town - Ajax Cape Town coach Roger de Sa believes he made the right decision in handing 21-year-old midfielder Travis Graham the captain's armband.
Graham was a surprise choice to skipper the team in a tough encounter against Mamelodi Sundowns but the Urban Warriors' development product didn't disappoint as he put in a man-of-the-match performance, including the spectacular goal in the 1-0 win over the defending Premiership champions.
Based on that performance, it appears that the added responsibility de Sa has handed Graham will serve to inspire the player rather than to weigh him down.
The Ajax boss felt Graham was the right man for the job, and foresaw a bright future for his young captain.
"I have been working with Travis for a while. I have had a lot of time with him. He has a very good pre-season after missing most of last season through injury."
The former Orlando Pirates' coach said it was not difficult to notice the youngster's talent.
"I could see his qualities, his character and his temperament, and I think he could be captain of the club for many years to come. He's got that kind of attitude. He carries himself well, he does all the work."
De Sa said he had learnt from his own experience in captaining at a young age and felt that Graham had passed his first assignment with flying colours.
"I spoke to him beforehand, and I asked him if it was going to weigh him down. I remember my first professional game, and I was made captain of Swallows. I was also a young 20 year old. So I had no fear in putting him on and making him captain."
De Sa also praised his club's commitment to developing young players.
"We had nine out of the 11 players from our development side that have been groomed by the club playing in our first team. Hats off to Ajax. Not many clubs can do that. In my time at Wits, I was trying to get 60 percent of the team as a home-bred team, and that was tough."
