Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has revealed why the Tshwane giant decided to release Thembinkosi Lorch alongside Rushine De Reuck, Lebohang Maboe, Lesiba Nku, and Erwin Saavedra in the January transfer window because all of them asked to leave due to a lack of game time. 

Lorch joined the Moroccan giant Wydad Club Athletic, while Maboe is at SuperSport United – all on loan until the end of the season, with Rushine de Reuck to Maccabi Petah Tikva in Israel Premier League. 

Nku, on the other side, joined Stellenbosch on a permanent move while the Tshwane giant parted ways with Erwin Saavedra and currently doesn’t have a team. 

 According to Cardoso, all these players asked to leave to get game time. “By the way, I can make it clear that during the week I spoke to the team so that we clear the debt and we close that,” Cardoso said. “There are no issues regarding Pitso [Mkhulise] or transfers on him. Pitso is a player from the club, we like him so much, we trust him and he’s been playing in the team. 

“There was information from me that on Pitso there are some talks, but that was nothing. There were many of the movements that happened and had not only to do with our intention but also from the news that we received from the players. 

“That’s how the market should work and how the club should work regarding the happiness of the football player because a football player is also a man and when he is not happy because he is not playing we should respect that. For example, Rushine clearly asks ‘Let me go to play, I need to play and I want to play.’ 

“I think that’s why we made a move on him, for example, I can also speak about Lebo who is a wonderful person and he is an important player to our group. He also ask and said ‘Coach I want go to play so that I can perform for you to see me so that I can come back to play in the club.’ 

 “So, the market is a product of what we analysed regarding the satisfaction of the group from the club but first of all from the players individually that they want to give stats on their career. 

 “Lorch, as you can imagine, he was not happy here, and it’s important that players are happy, we cannot sustain players that are not in the context of the environment where they feel they can perform,” Cardoso said when asked about his exit from Sundowns. 

 “Sometimes it’s important to give them the air they need to breathe, so they can express and also have the game-time they need to play – Lorch is not a young player. In the last [few years], he’s not played that much, it was important to let him go [to play football].” 

However, the Brazilians signed new players in the January players to strengthen the squad. The Premiership champions signed Jayden Adams, Keanu Cupido as well as the Argentinean defender Lucas Suarez. 

Cardoso’s side also decided to recall Matias Esquivel on his loan in Argentina. The Brazilians currently have five South Americans of which it’s Lucas Ribeiro, Marcelo Allende, Arthur Sales, Suarez, and Esquivel.