Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has shared his thoughts on Monnapule Saleng after the attacker made his long-awaited debut for the club on Sunday.
Entering the fray with just 10 minutes remaining, Saleng needed only sixty seconds to make his presence felt. He provided a pinpoint assist for Iqraam Rayners, putting the finishing touches on Sundowns’ 3-1 victory over Sekhukhune United in a Betway Premiership clash at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.
The 27-year-old’s arrival at Chloorkop was one of the major talking points of the 2026 January transfer window, having made the high-profile switch from arch-rivals Orlando Pirates. However, a lingering injury had kept the Bafana Bafana international sidelined until his second-half cameo in Pretoria.
Before his high-profile switch to Chloorkop, he spent the first half of the current campaign on loan with Betway Premiership side Orbit College FC.
CARDOSO’S VERDICT ON SALENG’S EXPLOSIVE SUNDOWNS DEBUT
Addressing the media after the victory over Sekhukhune, Cardoso lauded Saleng’s immediate influence and hinted at the attacker’s tactical versatility within the Sundowns system.
“Saleng did well. He is a player of high quality who can operate effectively on either the right or left flank. You know his capabilities perhaps even better than I do,” said Cardoso.
“Unfortunately, I have only started working with him recently because of his injury, but he has made a fantastic recovery. We never wanted to rush his comeback, and we must remain cautious. While he is medically cleared, he is still working on his conditioning and grasping our tactical requirements.
“He has the versatility to play both out wide and through the middle, so don’t be surprised to see him in a different role. Against Sekhukhune, we needed to maintain our structure—especially with [Khuliso] Mudau struggling with an ankle, meaning we couldn’t expose him too much in attack.
“We also had to be mindful of our defensive balance, so we decided to introduce him [Saleng] at the right moment when Tashreeq [Matthews] was running out of steam. It worked perfectly for the team. I still need to review the footage, but his involvement in Iqraam’s goal was excellent execution.
“It is clear that teams need players who can consistently attack defenders. You need players who can start matches with that intensity, but a club like Sundowns also needs a bench capable of doing that when the opposition is tired.”
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