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Nasief Morris: Europe can still happen for Rivaldo

Former Bafana Bafana defender Nasief Morris says Rivaldo Coetzee still has time to fulfill his goal of playing football in Europe.

The 23-year-old Mamelodi Sundowns centre-back came close to joining Scottish Premier League Celtic in 2017 but failed his medical.

He had been playing for Ajax Cape Town with an underlying foot problem that was picked up by the Celtic medical team.

Coetzee, however, subsequently signed for the Brazilians and has since won two Premier Soccer League titles.

Morris, who played in Spain and Greece, has plenty of faith that Coetzee will make the move at some stage in his career.

He told Goal: "I don't think something like that could change overnight.

"Yes, he had a big injury that cost him an opportunity to start his career in Europe, but I think he needs to believe in himself and know that was a minor setback and it can still happen.

With Coetzee having been deployed in midfield this season, Morris added: "A player of that quality and ability especially coming out of the Ajax (Cape Town) system – if you a centre-back you should be comfortable on the ball, have the awareness and he has that.

"I don't think the positional change will be negative on him, it could be a big positive for him going forward.

"Also, that kind of player that can play in any position is always wanted by any coach. Because if they know they can have any player that is a utility player that can play in any position, they will opt to have a player like that. It will save them money. It's a positive for both the player and club."

- TEAMtalk media

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