Cardoso addresses Saleng reintegration at Sundowns

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has explained Monnapule Saleng’s reintegration into the team after making his first appearance of the season in a 1-0 Carling Knockout win over Marumo Gallants.

Saleng came off the bench for the final seven minutes of the Round of 16 encounter as Sundowns held on to their narrow advantage to secure progression to the next round.

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The 28-year-old had been isolated from the first-team group since the off-season following reports of ill-discipline. Cardoso had previously raised concerns about Saleng’s training standards and his impact on the dressing-room dynamics. '

However, the Portuguese tactician has now made it clear that the club remains committed to giving the winger another opportunity to work his way back into contention. 

“First of all, I always told you that those are the values I found inside this club and those are the values I share and multiply with my players. We don’t allow ourselves to exclude a human being, a person, out of the process,” said Cardoso in a post-match press conference at Loftus. 

Furthermore, Saleng had been given time to reflect on his situation, improve his consistency in training and address areas that required change.

“He made his effort. He will have his chances according to the performance that will be absolutely continuously evaluated like all the other players and obviously if he becomes consistent, he will have more chances. If he has fluctuations, he will have less chances,” noted Cardoso.

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The 54-year-old mentor also revealed that introducing Saleng against Gallants was a deliberate decision intended to demonstrate the Tshwane giants' trust in him.

He also admitted that he could have opted for another player to close out the match but instead chose to give the winger an opportunity to rebuild his confidence.

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