Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has made an admission about the biggest concern he has about Monnapule Saleng after the winger played 90 minutes against Orbit College FC on Tuesday.
The Brazilians romped to a 2-0 Betway Premiership victory over the Mswenko Boys at Olympia Park Stadium in Rustenburg. The result kept them deep in contention for the league title.
It was Saleng’s first start in Sundowns colours after making his debut as a second-half substitute last week against Sekhukhune United. Tuesday’s outing was also the wideman’s first time to play an entire match since November 2025, when he featured for Orbit College against Kaizer Chiefs while on loan from Orlando Pirates.
Saleng recently returned to full fitness after a spell on the sidelines with a thigh injury sustained while at Orbit. Masandawana signed him, fully aware of his fitness situation, and Cardoso has been taking a cautious approach until Tuesday.
CARDOSO MAKES SALENG CONFESSION, EXPLAINS MUDAU SUBSTITUTION
“I was worried, I confess. I was a little bit worried because it was not the plan to keep him for 90 minutes on the pitch,” Cardoso told journalists after the match. “But Mudau asked for a substitution. He was feeling a little bit tired, and we obviously wanted several players to be fresh because we don’t know who is going to start the match [against Stade Malien].
“Still, there are some obvious predictions, and we knew that we wanted to spare players, especially the ones in the front that can give a lot, like Arthur [Sales], Nuno [Santos], Tashreeq [Matthews], Iqraam [Rayners], Brayan [Leon], and Saleng. But we could not spare all of them.
“So, Saleng finished the match. Also, he is a player who doesn’t have too many matches under his belt, so we knew that he doesn’t accumulate fatigue. But we have to focus on his recovery.
“I was shouting at him not to make too long runs on sprints because those are the ones that can bring muscular injuries. Also, to Thapelo [Morena] on the right, because we need to approach this [CAF] Champions League round with Stade Malien in between until the [FIFA] break with all the players available, so that we can have the highest power.”
RELATED STORY: Monnapule Saleng unpacks the reality of Sundowns debut