Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro has made an admission on the absence of the talented winger Monnapule Saleng.
Saleng has been a notable absentee from Pirates’ matchday squad, missing the club’s crucial encounters in the past few months.
The absence of the Bafana Bafana international has left a distasteful feeling on the Pirates fans, who feel Saleng is key to their ambitions of winning the Betway Premiership title.
Since the start of the 2024/25 season, Saleng has only featured in 13 matches in all competitions, scored five goals and provided one assist.
Saleng was last in action for the Soweto giants in December 2024 when they played to a goalless draw against Al Ahly at Orlando Stadium in the CAF Champions League group stages.
Meanwhile, media reports have been rife about the absence of Saleng, claiming that Pirates denied him a multi-million move to the Gulf region.
However, last month, Pirates came out to rubbish all the rumours about the futures of Saleng and Patrick Maswanganyi. The latter is also linked with a move overseas.
JOSE RIVEIRO SAYS SPEAKING ABOUT PLAYERS’ AVAILABILITY IS NOT PART OF HIS JOB DESCRIPTION
Speaking ahead of Pirates’ Nedbank Cup Last 16 clash against Baroka FC on Saturday, Riveiro said it would be nice to give an update on the availability of players, but that’s not in his job description.
“I don’t speak about the health of my players; it’s something that belongs to the private space, and the moment the club feels that it’s the right time to speak about which players are injured, how long they are going to take and which process of recovery they are in. It’s not part of my job description; it’s not an ethical thing,” Riveiro said.
“I know it will be nice to know how close is Olisa [Ndah] or [Goodman] Mosele and what’s happening with Saleng but it’s not going to happen.”
Pirates will be looking to move a step closer to defending their Nedbank Cup title, which they have won in the last two seasons. They’ll face Baroka at Orlando Stadium on Saturday, 14 February 2025. Kickoff is at 15h00.
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