In a recent development, Rulani Mokwena has hinted at the departure of attacker Abubeker Nasir, explicitly stating that the Ethiopian international is not considered a Mamelodi Sundowns player.
Nasir’s imminent exit comes after a challenging period marked by injuries and a language barrier.
The 24-year-old arrived at Sundowns in 2022 from Ethiopian Premier League giants Ethiopia Coffee with a bang, scoring on his debut against Kaizer Chiefs in a DStv Premiership in August at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.
However, a potential ‘career-threatening’ injury sustained, as described by Mokwena, significantly limited Nasir’s playing time.
Nasir’s promising start to life at the star-studded Sundowns side was cut short in December 2022. He suffered a recurrence of his ankle injury, requiring another surgery after a dangerous challenge from Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Siyabonga Mpontshane.
In the 2023/24 season, Nasir, who has been on the sidelines for a lengthy period, made just three appearances before being de-registered from the Sundowns squad. This decision likely stemmed from both Nasir’s fitness limitations and the club’s need for a foreign quota spot to accommodate their new Argentinian signing, Matias Esquivel.
In addition to the injuries, Nasir also faced a language barrier. Mokwena, who saw the player as a “ceiling raiser,” once revealed that the club provided him with an English tutor and a translator to bridge the language gap and ensure he could fully understand “the instructions and information we wanted to bring to him.”
RULANI MOKWENA on Abubeker Nasir’s Status at Sundowns
While not explicitly confirming a departure, Mokwena stated that Nasir is “not a Sundowns player” in an interview on PowerFM.
“He is not a Sundowns player, so I don’t want to talk about Nasir because he is not a Sundowns player,” said Mokwena on Friday evening. “He is not registered as a Sundowns player.
“So I don’t talk about people who are not Sundowns players.”
In Sundowns’ colours, Nasir played in 17 games across all competitions, even featuring in the CAF Champions League. During these appearances, Nasir showcased his potential with a tally of four goals.
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