Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena has revealed the reasons behind Gaston Sirino’s return to playing for the club.
Sirino had been frozen out of the first team since the start of the season after falling down the pecking order and submitting a transfer request.
However, he returned to the fold on Wednesday and made his first appearance of the season in the Carling Knockout Cup clash against TS Galaxy.
The Uruguayan scored a late equaliser to throw Sundowns a lifeline late in additional time. After a 2-2 stalemate at the end of extra time, the 32-year-old converted his penalty, but the South African champions went on to lose 5-4.
Mokwena has now shed light on Sirino’s return, saying that the player has apologised for his past antics and that the club has accepted his apology.
WHAT RULANI MOKWENA SAID ABOUT GASTON SIRINO
“Life rewards you when you’re doing good,” he explained. “The club did good by accepting an apology. The player did good by apologising and recognising his wrongs.”
Mokwena also said that Sirino has been working hard and has shown a good attitude.
“That’s how the universe works. When you do good, you get rewarded. He showed good resilience, good positivity and a good attitude and helped the team to come back.”
Sirino’s return is a boost for Sundowns, who are struggling for depth in attack. While Sirino is not necessarily a striker, he could provide goals in the absence of Peter Shalulile, Lucas Ribeiro Costa and Abubeker Nasir, who are all out nursing injuries.
The Uruguayan is a proven match-winner, and his creativity and attacking flair will be invaluable to the team.
Sundowns jet out to Luanda, Angola, on Thursday afternoon, where they take on Petro de Luanda in the African Football League on Saturday, 21 October. The return leg is on Tuesday in Pretoria.
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