Cardoso Carefully Managing Saleng As Sundowns Star Regains Fitness
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso says the club is taking a cautious approach with Monnapule Saleng as the winger continues regaining full fitness after recently returning from injury.
Saleng joined the Brazilians during the January transfer window after signing from Orlando Pirates. Before completing the move, the 27-year-old had spent the first half of the current season on loan at Orbit College.
However, his arrival at Sundowns came while he was still recovering from an injury, delaying his full integration into the squad.
The winger eventually made his return at the beginning of this month when Sundowns faced Sekhukhune United, coming off the bench and making an immediate impact by assisting a goal for striker Iqraam Rayners.
Saleng continued building match fitness in the following match against Golden Arrows, where he once again started on the bench.
The former Pirates winger was later handed a starting role and managed to complete the entire match against Orbit College in Sundowns’ 2-0 victory on Tuesday, marking his first full 90 minutes for the Pretoria giants.
Cardoso admitted he was slightly concerned about allowing Saleng to play the entire match, explaining that the club is carefully managing the player’s workload to avoid further injury as he regains match fitness.
“I was worried, I can confess. I was a little bit worried about him because he was not the player you can keep for the full 90 minutes on the pitch,” Cardoso said.
“Saleng finished the match and he didn’t start many games and this was his first 90 minutes. But we had to focus on his recovery, I was shouting at him not to make longer sprint runs because that can bring too many injuries.
“The reason I did that is that we want to approach the CAF Champions League and qualify for the next round, and all other players will be available. So, yeah, good game and he played the full game very well from the beginning till the end.”
Cardoso also took time to praise Iqraam Rayners, who has rediscovered his scoring form after missing several matches.
The striker was again on the scoresheet against Mswenko Boys and continues to impress with consistent performances in front of goal. His recent run has seen him climb the scoring charts in the Betway Premiership, where he is now joint top scorer with Junior Dion of Golden Arrows, with both players sitting on 10 league goals this season.
Rayners’ impressive form has also earned him a recall to the Bafana Bafana squad for the upcoming friendly matches later this month.
“Yeah, obviously that makes me happy, but at the same time it makes me worried because we have a player like Peter Shalulile that was important in the past and now he is not in the room,” he added.
“We also have Lebo Mothiba, who gives a lot when he is here and helps us a lot. But it’s a team of Mamelodi Sundowns that has quality, and in some positions, we have some players who, when they perform, appear.
“So, I’m happy that he is doing well and also happy he is back in the national team, and let’s hope he will be included in the final squad.”
Following their midweek league victory, the Brazilians will now shift their focus to continental football as they prepare for a crucial clash in the CAF Champions League.
Sundowns are set to host Malian side Stade Malien at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Friday in the first leg of the quarterfinal, where both Saleng and Rayners will be hoping to get more game time and help the team secure a strong result.
