Why ex-Orlando Pirates star missed critical Mamelodi Sundowns fixture: ‘We could not substitute the match sheet, it was too late’

Former Orlando Pirates winger Monnapule Saleng was not part of the Mamelodi Sundowns squad that played Polokwane City on Sunday at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria.

The 28-year-old was a shock January signing for the defending Premier Soccer League champions, who felt the need to strengthen their squad following initial struggles that saw them fail to deliver in domestic competitions.

Saleng needed a couple of weeks to heal from an injury before making his debut for Masandawana. Despite his quality, the South Africa international has been in and out of the Brazilians’ squad.

The most recent was last weekend when Sundowns beat Polokwane City 3-0 to take their points tally of the campaign to 64 from the 27 games played.

Where was Saleng for Sundowns against Polokwane?

Initially, there were claims that Saleng was remeoved from the matchday squad to pave the way for Nuno Santos, claims that have been denied by the former Esperance coach.

“There’s no competition because there’s space for all of them; but if you take a look at the medical report it’s clear that Saleng could not be available to be lined up or be called up even, when we were in the previous match in the warm-up, he didn’t feel good,” Cardoso explained.

“So he was on the bench but he couldn’t play. When we felt he was not okay, when he complained he was not okay, we could not substitute the match sheet — it was too late.

“So he was on the bench but he could not be lined up in the previous match,” he concluded.

The Brazilians will be at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Wednesday to face Kaizer Chiefs in what promises to be another thrilling Premier Soccer League fixture.