Modise has been written off as a has-been and cynics have argued that Sundowns bought an expensive flop when the waning star moved from Orlando Pirates in a shock transfer that cost about R7m at the beginning of the year.
But Neeskens — who joined Sundowns in June — insists that he has spent the past few weeks working on restoring Modise to his former glory and that the nation’s soccer lovers will be surprised by his transformation tomorrow.
"I think that he (Modise) is a tremendously good player and you will see," he said.
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| Teko Modise - Sundowns FC |
"I do not want to know what happened to him in the past and I certainly do not want to know what happened to his other coaches.
"He is here with us now and that is what concerns me."
Modise himself said he was grateful to Neeskens for resurrecting his career and the doubters can judge for themselves tomorrow if he was indeed reborn.
"I am very happy with myself right now," he said.
"The coach has been able to bring out the best of me because I see that he believes in me. He is truly a father figure and that is something."
Modise was once the South African football poster boy and he crowned his undoubted skills by winning the SA Footballer of the Year award in 2008 and 2009.
He was supposed to be the star of the 2009 Confederations Cup but he failed to live up to expectations.
His star began to plummet after a fallout with then Pirates coach Rudi Krol and he was the subject of so much criticism that even the Bucs supporters started to boo him.
He was a shadow of his former self when Sundowns came calling in January and questions were asked as to whether the club’s spendthrift president, Patrice Motsepe, had been sold a dud.
The player hardly set the scene alight at Sundowns over the past few months but Neeskens insists that during the preseason he has finally discovered what has been missing from Modise.
Preseason reports suggest that Modise is back to his best after scoring goals in matches against a host of clubs, as well as the Swaziland national team.
The goals he scored in the preseason clearly mean a lot to him and he will not listen to talk that they were scored during friendly matches. "I have not scored any goals for two years…. So even though I scored in the preseason, it was great just to see the ball roll into the back of the net."
In the other high-profile quarterfinal encounter this weekend, all eyes will be on Orlando Pirates when they host Santos tomorrow night.
New striker Benni McCarthy looks set to make a surprise appearance after Bucs coach Julio Cesar Leal admitted this week that he was crossing his fingers that the striker would pass a late fitness test.
MTN8 QUARTERFINAL FIXTURES
Today: Ajax Cape Town vs SuperSport United at Cape Town Stadium (8pm)
Tomorrow: Mamelodi Sundowns vs Bloemfontein Celtic at Lucas Moripe Stadium (3pm); Orlando Pirates vs Santos at Orlando Stadium (8.15pm)
Sunday: Kaizer Chiefs vs Bidvest Wits at Soccer City (3pm)
Source -http://BusinessDay.co.za
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