Modise joined the Citizens as a high-profile signing at the start of the season following an unceremonious end to his Sundowns career, having made just six starts for the Brazilians across all competitions last year.

After a subdued start with the Urban Warriors, the 35-year-old has now found his rhythm, with 11 of his 16 starts for City all coming in 2018 as he continues to boss the centre of the park with his vision, intelligence and deft touches, earning the man-of-the-match accolade in City’s last domestic fixture, a 1-0 Nedbank Cup victory over Orlando Pirates.

McCarthy, who played with Modise in the national team, admits he has a special relationship with his talisman.

“With Teko, it’s about man-management,” McCaarthy said. “I try be correct, honest and open with everyone, and maintaining a good relationship – I don’t want any of my players to feel scared to tell me ‘I’ve got a spot here or something wrong there’ – I want to have an open relationship. And because I played with Teko, I think I manage him a bit differently. He’s a very good professional, he’s always on time and never late, and never misses training. When he feels he has something [an injury], he communicates it directly to me … he has that kind of respect and relationship with me, and it’s vice-versa.

“And because he manages himself so well, we talk a lot about how he’s feeling and his game management. I constantly make sure he’s okay – he’s not a Cape Town boy, he’s from Joburg, and I try make sure he and everyone else is okay – I care about the players’ lives outside of football, so I try know all these things and ask questions.”

McCarthy has been thrilled with the midfielder’s displays of late, and feels the reason is because he is much happier following his move away from Chloorkop.
“I’m playing him, and Pitso [Mosimane] was making him sit in the stands!” the City coach said. “So that’s the most important factor – he feels loved, he feels wanted and feels the club and the team ticks when he’s playing, so I embrace that.

“And I let the players know that I am the way I am with him because he has achieved something – he’s got that respect from me and he’s giving it back, and once the younger players achieve what Teko has achieved in their careers, if I’m still around as coach, it will be exactly the same. And they accept that.”

City’s next fixture is against Modise’s former club Downs, who they face in their Nedbank Cup quarter-final clash at Cape Town Stadium next Sunday afternoon