Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has explained the decision to reintegrate Monnapule Saleng into the first team after his well-publicised disciplinary issues.
Cardoso addressed Saleng’s return following the Brazilians’ dominant 4-1 victory over Richards Bay FC in a Betway Premiership encounter on Tuesday night.
Masandawana thrashed the Natal Rich Boys at the Princess Magogo Stadium, powered by a brace from Iqraam Rayners alongside goals from Tashreeq Matthews and Fawaaz Basadien.
The win allowed Sundowns to maintain their top spot in the league table with 23 points from nine matches. They are closely followed by rivals Orlando Pirates, who sit in second place with 22 points and a game in hand.
Before defeating Richards Bay, Sundowns clinched the MTN8 title by overcoming Pirates in the final at the Moses Mabhida Stadium last Saturday. In the build-up to that final, Saleng returned to training with the Sundowns first team after months of training on his own.
SUNDOWNS MOVE ON FROM SALENG’S DISCIPLINARY ISSUES
Months earlier, Cardoso publicly admitted that the highly rated winger had breached the club’s values and rules, resulting in his isolation from the main squad. After Saleng returned to the fold, the Portuguese mentor said the club collectively decided to offer the Bafana Bafana international a second chance.
“In the same way that I spoke about Saleng when I last spoke about him, we as the club, the sports direction, the players, the captains and the chairman [Thlopie Motsepe] we decided to give ourselves and Saleng an opportunity to move forward in a positive way,” Cardoso said.
“Saleng had a period of training alone consistently with the values that we have inside a professional team, and since he rejoined the team, he has kept that berth.
“We are happy that he shows consistency in training; obviously, his time [to play] will appear, I’m pretty sure, but when will it be? I don’t know. Obviously, it’s important to understand that this season we have more options in the front than we had in the past.
“So I’m pretty sure he will appear, and he’s a player that we trust, and what I mean by trust is that there are positive relations so that he can trust me and I also trust him.
“You saw me celebrating with him, pushing him to lift the MTN8 cup because I support him. We have a special club; probably in another club he wouldn’t be in this process, but at Mamelodi Sundowns we do our best for everybody.”
Saleng signed with Sundowns during the January 2025 transfer window from Pirates. So far during his stint with the Tshwane giants, the left-footed attacker has made eight appearances across all competitions and provided one assist.
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