When will Iqraam Rayners make his debut for Sundowns? Mngqithi answers

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Manqoba Mngqithi has revealed when highly-rated new signing Iqraam Rayners will make his debut for the club.

Rayners, who joined Sundowns from Stellenbosch FC last month on a long-term deal, could not participate in the club’s MTN8 fixtures against his former side due to cup-tying regulations. Having already represented Stellenbosch in the competition, he was ineligible to play for Sundowns.

As the Brazilians prepare for their CAF Champions League campaign, which begins with a clash against Mbabane Swallows, Mngqithi stated that Rayners is progressing well in training and even found the net in a recent friendly match.

Sundowns will take in Swallows in the second preliminary round at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday, 14th September 2024 [20h00 kickoff].

Mngqithi’s troops will be eager to bounce back from a setback which saw them crash out of the MTN8 semi-finals against Stellenbosch FC. Stellies defeated Masandawana with a 1-0 scoreline home and away in the two-legged semi-final to set up a final with Orlando Pirates at Moses Mabhida Stadium on the 5th of October 2024.

WHAT DID MANQOBA MNGQITHI SAY ABOUT RAYNERS’ POSSIBLE DEBUT?

With Downs aiming for a positive start in the Champions League, Mngqithi has hinted that Rayners is in line to face Mbabane Swallows.

In the previous campaign, Rayners made 39 appearances in all competitions for Stellenbosch, scored 17 goals and provided eight assists. He played a key role as the club won the first edition of the Carling Knockout Cup.

“I must say, he has done very well. I think he has played one friendly game with us, and he has already scored,” said Mngqithi. “So we are looking forward to seeing more because the reason we brought him here is because we believe he’s got goals, and that is what we’ve been lacking.

“To be honest, we still have Peter [Shalulile], who has not scored, and we know he’s got goals. We’ve got Lucas [Ribeiro], whom we know has goals, and [Thapelo] Maseko has goals.

“We’ve got quite a lot of players that can still give us more, and I do believe that [Arthur] Sales can give us something; we are very excited that Iqraam and the fact that he didn’t get minutes in the FIFA break [with Bafana Bafana], it gives us a bit of an edge to try and use him for this match [against Swallows].”

The 28-year-old goal-poacher will compete with Peter Shalulile, Arthur Sales, and Lucas Ribeiro in the striking department.

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