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Cape Town - Keagan Dolly hasn't had much time to settle at his new club Mamelodi Sundowns as he has been busy with national team duties with the Under-23s.
In his time with South Africa's youth setup, he has put in a number of spirited performances, including scoring three goals in two games that helped the team advance to the Eight Nations in Senegal later this year by beating Zimbabwe 4-1 on aggregate.
But the MTN8 is an opportunity for Dolly to get to know his team-mates, starting on Wednesday when Sundowns host Bloemfontein Celtic at Lucas Moripe.
"I haven't really had a time to sit down with the coach [Pitso Mosimane] and speak because of pre-season and all the travelling I have done with the national team," Dolly told Football411.
"But he has always been supportive, encouraging me and telling me not to be afraid to play. He has always been there to ask if I am okay and if everything is going well.
"I just want to grow as a player for now. Learn from the older players and get more games under my belt. Just try to settle in here in the team. Sundowns is a big team with lots of quality players."
His performances for the Under-23s would have put him in a good position to get a chance in the line-up of the star-studded Sundowns. Unlike the previous season, Mosimane is gunning for the MTN8 which means Sundowns players will have to raise their game.
The confidence Dolly has picked with the Under-23 national team has put him in a good position.
"Coach Owen da Gama gives us the freedom to express ourselves and play our normal game in the national team," Dolly said.
"We went out and we expressed ourselves. It worked for us and we won the game. It's really important that we qualify for Rio because the last time we played in the Olympics was 15 years ago. If we qualify that means more opportunities for the players involved."
