Vermezovic backs Ritchie to succeed

Kaizer Chiefs coach Vladimir Vermezovic believes Keegan Ritchie is a player for the future, despite struggling for form lately.

The left-back put in a poor shift during the Chiefs’ 3-2 loss to great rivals the Orlando Pirates in South Africa’s Premier Soccer League, but Vermezovic leapt to the defence of the 21-year-old.

“Look, it is not easy to play against Orlando Pirates in front of 80,000 people, especially when you are 3-0 down,” the Serbian told Kickoff.com.

“Keegan made mistakes, but he is a smart guy and he is not going to make the same mistakes. It is part of his growing.”

“We can’t just use these players for small games, no, they have to get experience and sometimes they will make mistakes.”