IN South Africa they call him ‘mlungu’, the white person.

The captain of the Bafana Bafana, Blackburn Rovers’ latest trialist has even been compared to the great Joel Stransky.

With such comparisons, Dean Furman might seem an unlikely man to be without a club right now, hoping to show he can be more Benni McCarthy (the first season, at least) than Elrio van Heerden at Ewood Park.

MORE TOP STORIES:

But Furman brought an end to his enduring partnership with former Rovers striker Paul Dickov, his manager at Oldham Athletic and Doncaster Rovers, because he had a point to prove.

He may have risen to international prominence while a League One player, but Furman understandably wants more than that now.

“League One is a very tough, demanding and competitive league, but of course, as with any player, I would like to play at the highest level possible,” he said recently.

Born in an affluent area of Cape Town, Furman moved to England with his family as a child and was earmarked as one to watch from the very start of his football career. By the age of 15, he had signed for Chelsea.

There he worked with Brendan Rodgers, then a youth coach at Stamford Bridge, before moving to Scotland to join Rangers.

Back then Rangers were UEFA Cup finalists, not Scottish Championship play-off finalists, and breaking into the first team was a little more difficult.

Furman made only one appearance, going on a season-long loan to Bradford City before turning down a new one-year deal at Ibrox to sign for Oldham, where he linked up with Chris Taylor.

Known more as an accurate passer of the ball than a prolific goalscorer, he did however win the Football League’s goal of the season award for the 2010/11 campaign with a superb long-range strike.

Such accolades helped to bring him to the attention of South Africa, no matter how unlikely a call-up had seemed in England’s third tier.

“I never gave up hope. I never give up on anything because that’s the type of person I am,” Furman admitted.

His debut came against Brazil, in Brazil, in 2012. Not a bad way to start.

Three days later he was man of the match in a victory over Mozambique; a year later he was a major part of the South Africa squad that reached the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time since 2002.

At times he was the only white player in the national team, his every touch greeted by chants of ‘mlungu’. Furman always knew it was meant affectionately.

“I know some people might be shocked to hear that I have embraced the name,” he said.

His Jewish faith also saw him compared in the South African media to Stransky, the rugby union star who famously scored the winning drop goal in the 1995 World Cup final.

Furman’s ascent to the captaincy of the Bafana Bafana came in a way that he would never have wanted – taking over from Senzo Meyiwa, the goalkeeper murdered at home in October.

He led South Africa into January’s Africa Cup of Nations, but now he will hope to do enough to start a new chapter at club level.