Thulani Serero will not feature for Bafana Bafana in their must-win World Cup qualifier against Senegal, after his demands for playing time were rejected by coach Stuart Baxter.

Baxter confirmed the news during a press conference on Tuesday after overseas-based players Lebogang Manyama‚ Andile Jali and Keagan Dolly’s arrivals at the camp were delayed due to flight issues.

“Thulani gave an indication to Barney Kujane [the team manager] that if he’s not gonna play‚ he doesn’t really wanna come to camp,” Baxter told the media.

“So because this is a national team and not a club team‚ you can’t guarantee people places.

The former SuperSport United mentor revealed that nobody in the national team is guaranteed a spot, meaning that Serero will miss Friday”s clash and ply his trade for club side Vitesse.

“Whether that’s permanent‚ I don’t know… we have asked him to put that in writing so that we know for sure.

“Maybe it’s a shame for his teammates, who are working very hard to beat Senegal‚ so we want as little distractions as possible.

“Serero has given clear indication that he won’t be in this camp, and what implications this has for his future in Bafana you can guess yourself.

“But I don’t think anybody is too impressed with a player that is selected and didn’t think it’s worth coming‚” he concluded.

South Africa face Senegal at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Friday night.

Photo: Sydney Mahlangu/Backpagepix

-This story originally appeared on SportsClub.co.za