Mokoena has been capped 107 times by Bafana Bafana

By Ed Aarons BBC Sport, Johannesburg

South Africa coach Pitso Mosimane has dropped captain Aaron Mokoena from his squad to face Egypt in this month's crucial African Nations Cup qualifier.

The Portsmouth central defender became the first South African to reach 100 caps before last year's World Cup.

But a lack of action for his club has seen Mosimane to take his boldest decision since becoming coach.

"We need all our experienced players for a big match like this but we also need to move forward," Mosimane said.

"I love and respect Aaron and have protected him when all the wolves were against him but please allow me to select the team.

"He has given us his best as the captain but this time he's not in the team I've selected."

The 107-cap defender was left on the bench for last month's friendly win over Kenya.

SuperSport United defender Morgan Gould is his likely replacement alongside former club colleague Bongani Khumalo - now at Tottenham Hotspur.

The 24-year-old has yet to make an appearance for Harry Redknapp's side since signing in January but Mosimane denied that was a major concern.

"Bongani's been playing lots of games behind the scenes so it's not as if he won't be fit," said Mosimane, who took over from Carlos Alberto Parreira last July.

"He has played in the World Cup before and even though he has not been playing in these big competitive games for Spurs, he is training hard with some top quality players and doing very well."

Elsewhere in the squad, there are call-ups for goalkeepers Wayne Sandilands and Darren Keet, while striker Katlego Mphela is back after returning from his self-imposed exile form club Mamelodi Sundowns.

The 26-year-old is included alongside Leeds United's Davide Somma for the first time and Mosimane admitted he is excited by the prospect of having both available for selection.

He said: "I'm in a win-win situation having both of them in the squad but it's a good headache to have.

"I need to sit down with (assistant coach) Jairo Leal to discuss if they can play together but it will be solely decided on what is best for the match against Egypt.

"If possible, we could even play all three - we have so many strikers in the squad because we know we need to attack in this match."

With Bafana Bafana currently top of Group G as they fight for a place in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea next year, Mosimane knows anything but a defeat would be a positive result for him.

"We should first be cautious but also try to maximise our opportunity of playing at home," he said.

"We don't want to have to rely on anyone else's results."

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