Monnapule Saleng of Mamelodi Sundowns celebrates victory during the Betway Premiership 2025/26 match against Sekhukhune United at Loftus Versfeld Stadium.
Image: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix
Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has welcomed the contribution of Monnapule Saleng following the winger’s first appearance for the club, describing it as an encouraging step in his return to full fitness.
Saleng came off the bench during Sundowns’ 3–1 Betway Premiership win over Sekhukhune United and immediately added pace and intent in wide areas. His direct running unsettled a tiring defence and played a role in the move that restored the champions’ lead.
Cardoso believes moments like these highlights why elite teams require attacking threats beyond the starting line-up.
“It’s clear that teams need players that can be aggressive towards defenders and those players need to start but a team like Sundowns also needs players that do that from the bench in moments where teams are tired or broken,” he said.
The Sundowns coach stressed that Saleng’s qualities were evident, even in a brief outing.
“Saleng did well, Saleng is a player that has high quality, a player that wins his own duels and can play left or right wing,” Cardoso added.
However, the Portuguese mentor was careful to place the performance in context, revealing that his work with the winger has been limited due to injury.
“Unfortunately I only recently started working with him because he was injured but he made a fantastic recovery, we don’t want to put pressure on his comeback.”
At Mamelodi Sundowns, patience is part of the process. The technical team are intent on managing Saleng’s minutes carefully as he builds rhythm and sharpness after a lengthy layoff.
Cardoso also emphasised the importance of understanding and trust as Saleng reintegrates into the squad.
“I just hope he also understands everything moving forward because we support him very much.”
With the title race tightening, Sundowns continue to rely on their depth to influence games late on. Saleng’s debut may have been understated, but it offered a glimpse of another attacking option being added to an already well-stocked arsenal.