sportskeeda
The prospects for Mamelodi Sundowns forward Monnapule Saleng seem unclear as coach Miguel Cardoso has revealed that the winger is currently not taking part in team practices.
Cardoso shared this update after Sundowns clinched a 3-2 victory over Polokwane City in the MTN8 quarter-final held at Lucas Moripe Stadium on Saturday.
Saleng has been absent from the team roster, missing out on matchday selections and being notably absent from Sundowns’ pre-season training in Austria.
Cardoso explained that the winger’s absence is due to an alleged breach of the club’s rules and values, along with other related conduct issues.
“Concerning Saleng, the current situation is regrettably quite different,” Cardoso remarked.
“Saleng has continuously violated locker room protocols and club principles, and this has not been a recent occurrence; he has been missing from training for quite some time. To clarify, Saleng was on the list for the second Champions League match but failed to show up.”
The disciplinary challenges surrounding Saleng reportedly trace back to his stint with Orlando Pirates, who loaned him to Orbit College at the start of the last season before he joined Sundowns in January.
While at Pirates, he was reportedly entangled in numerous personal issues, although the club has not publicly detailed the specifics.
Sources have informed Sportswire that Saleng encountered several serious problems, which precipitated his loan move to Orbit College at the beginning of the prior season.
Pirates were reportedly worried about his behavior, with insiders at the time suggesting that the circumstances had advanced to a point where it became unfeasible for him to remain at the club for the 2024/25 season.
After his loan spell at Orbit College, Sundowns signed Saleng in hopes that he would recapture the remarkable form that earned him the PSL Players’ Player of the Year award during the 2022/23 season.
However, he has yet to reach that level of performance.
“Saleng was named in the camp roster; yet he neither appeared nor communicated an absence,” Cardoso stated, noting that the winger was also left out during Sundowns’ triumph in the CAF Champions League last season.
“Thus, we cannot find stability with a player to whom we have shown significant support despite his ongoing errors, yet who is unwilling to put forth the effort that a player of his caliber needs to deliver.”
