Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has outlined the key qualities he has picked in his wingers, Tashreeq Matthews and Monnapule Saleng.
Matthews is, arguably, Cardoso’s most trusted player in his squad, with the former Borussia Dortmund wideman featuring in all the matches Sundowns have played this season. The last time Matthews missed a Masandawana game was when he was an unused substitute during a CAF Champions League match against Esperance in April 2025.
The right-footed star is primarily a left winger, although he is also at home on the right flank. Similarly, Saleng also plays on either wing, although the left-footer is more lethal on the right.
Having arrived at Chloorkop from Orlando Pirates in January, Saleng recently made his Sundowns debut after recovering from a quad injury. He has mostly come on from the bench, replacing Matthews.
The only time the two were on the pitch at the same time was last week against Orbit College when Saleng played 90 minutes, while Matthews rose as a substitute to step in for Nuno Santos. Cardoso has explained what he wants from his wingers.
CARDOSO UNPACKS WHAT MATTHEWS OFFERS
“I expect my players to understand the music that is playing and dance according to it. Despite that, I know the characteristics of the players, and I always try to make them as comfortable as possible,” Cardoso said.
“I also need to understand what the game is asking and manage it according to what the game is asking. For example, Tashreeq is a player who can play in the pockets and is comfortable, especially if he is relating with the full-back on that side.
“But he is also a player who can play wide, left and right where he expresses himself better. I think he expresses himself better closer to the goal, more inside, because he is a player who can make more runs into space and he can create for others.
“He can invert with Aubrey very easily or forwards that are playing inside.”
CARDOSO STILL LEARNING ABOUT SALENG
“Saleng is a player that we are discovering day by day, and try to make him understand what we also want from him. He can play left and right,” said the former Esperance coach.
“Obviously, different things come from left and right. We did have a lot of training sessions with Saleng in terms of building him towards the direction of the team. So we are trying to profit from what he has that is natural, rather than already having him in the collective training process.
“But this week, for example, I put him in the pocket on the right, and I also got excited. I said wow, we have a guy who can also play in the spaces, because he loves the game, he’s so aggressive, he loves and enjoys a lot playing football.”
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