Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has explained the club’s
strategic reasoning behind signing the injured Monnapule Saleng, a move that
has raised eyebrows across the Premier Soccer League.
Sundowns secured Saleng from rivals Orlando Pirates in January, even though
the winger is sidelined for approximately eight weeks. Cardoso framed this
decision as a significant vote of confidence in the player.
“Signing him in his condition is also a word of trust on the boy and on the
work we are going to do together,” Cardoso stated after his team’s 2-0
victory over Orbit College.
The Portuguese tactician declined to comment on Saleng’s much-publicized
challenges at Pirates but was emphatic about his quality. “Saleng is an
international player for South Africa… I don’t need to speak about his
quality. You know the quality that the boy has.”
Cardoso clarified that the signing addressed a specific tactical need for a
different profile of attacker. “We wanted to sign a winger who was quick,
with aggression, a player who can bring something different from what we
have. If you compare a profile of Nuno (Santos) and Saleng, it’s a
completely different profile of players. It’s important for the coach to
have different tools.”
He acknowledged the need for patience, noting Saleng requires time to fully
recover from past injuries. “He needs to recover from injuries he has come
from in the past… The injuries he has will be recovered with the work from
our medical department.”
While Saleng awaits his debut, fellow new signing Brayan Leon made an
immediate impact, scoring on his debut in the win over Orbit. Cardoso
expressed hope that Saleng’s integration would be swift once fit,
concluding, “In two months, he will be performing for Sundowns, but we are
hoping it will be less.”
