Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has made a shock revelation about the situation of Monnapule Saleng, stating that the highly rated winger broke the rules at the Tshwane giants.
Saleng joined Sundowns during the January 2026 transfer window from Orlando Pirates as a marquee signing after making a name for himself with the Soweto giants.
The talented winger has since struggled to break into the Sundowns starting line-up due to injuries and tough competition, among other things.
Saleng initially arrived at Sundowns carrying an injury that he sustained during his loan spell with Orbit College FC in the first round of the 2025/26 Betway Premiership season.
After recovering from the injury setback, Saleng struggled to break into the Sundowns starting line-up under Cardoso. The Bafana Bafana international featured in only eight appearances across all competitions without scoring any goals.
In preparation for the 2026/27 season, Saleng missed out on the Sundowns pre-season activities in Europe, raising questions around his future at the club.
MONNAPULE SALENG NOT TRAINING WITH MAMELODI SUNDOWNS
Addressing the future of the 28-year-old star, Cardoso revealed that Saleng broke the rules at Downs and constantly missed camp for crucial matches.
“Regarding Saleng, unfortunately the situation is very different,” the Portuguese mentor said after Sundowns defeated Polokwane City FC 3-2 in the quarter-final of the MTN8 at Lucas Masterpieces Moripe on Saturday.
“Saleng consecutively broke the rules and the values of the locker room in the club.
“He’s not training with the club at the moment, and for some time already, so you have to understand that Saleng was on the squad list for the second match of the [CAF] Champions League [final against AS FAR]. Saleng was on the list to go into camp, but he didn’t appear, and he said he will not go.
“So it’s impossible for us to keep the stability with a player we gave so much love even after systematic mistakes, but he’s not ready to make the path that the team needs. The club decided to separate him from the squad; he’s not with us right now.”
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