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Cape Town - Bloemfontein Celtic coach Serame Letsoaka is yet to be convinced that Keagan Buchanan is the right man to replace Reneilwe Letsholonyane in the heart of Kaizer Chiefs' midfield.
For close to 10 years, Reneilwe Letsholonyane was the driving force for Kaizer Chiefs. Statistically, 'Yeye' was more often than not the most effective box-to-box midfielder, both on defence and in attack in the Absa Premiership.
After a raft of changes as part of a major squad overhaul in the off-season at Chiefs, he was perhaps the most high-profile departure to SuperSport United.
The arrival of Keagan Buchanan from Celtic has led many to suggest that the player has been earmarked to partly fill Letsholonyane's role in the middle of the park.
It is a big challenge facing the 24-year-old because 'Yeye's' influence for the Glamour Boys, especially during the successful Stuart Baxter era, was immense.
In addition, further doubts have potentially arisen as Buchanan spent the majority of last season nursing serious Anterior Cruciate Ligament damage - a knee injury that often takes footballers a long time to recover from, especially in the midfield engine room where mobility and freedom of movement are crucial.
The midfielder's former coach at Siwelele, Serame Letsoaka, has explained he is yet to be convinced about Buchanan as 'Yeye's' replacement.
"He never touched the ball when I was at Celtic because he had that ACL injury. For any player, it can take a long time to come back from that," Letsoaka told Vodacom Soccer.
"From the outside, he is not in the same mould as 'Yeye'. He's good technically but is not as explosive when it comes to winning the ball back and running box-to-box. I wish him the best though!"
