Former Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro has provided some valuable insight into the controversial decline of midfielder Monnapule Saleng, ultimately leading to the winger no longer training at all last season.
In perhaps one of the most drawn-out sagas in recent memory of the PSL, Saleng went six months without playing a single competitive match for the Buccaneers, which reported started with a contractual dispute between the club and player.
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The second episode of Pirates’ docu-series, Giants, which aired on SuperSportTV on Sunday, got close and personal with both Riveiro and Saleng.
Revealing that the Spaniard was as bewildered as everyone else by the winger’s changed demeanour, particularly during a shock 3-2 loss against Magesi in the Carling Knockout. It was a game in which Pirates were already 3-0 down at halftime.
"The period of the season was weird, with Saleng. So he (Saleng) takes you to a weird space, where you start to speculate if he’s okay or not, if he really wants to play for the team, or not," the Spaniard explained.
"Because we know Saleng, we know what he’s capable of doing – always ready to play, always ready to train, always delivering incredible performances."
Riveiro highlighted a noticeable shift in Saleng’s presence during the Magesi game.
"You could see that the boy is not happy; he’s just not himself. He’s not the guy enjoying every action, even if he has to run to defend 60m, he enjoys the action as well. And he wasn’t there, it was weird."
"I tried to concentrate on what’s coming for the ones who want to go to the field and fight for the team one more time, another 45 or 50 minutes, and not giving time or energy to that issue, even though it was not something really nice to see," he stated.
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The series later attempts to get some answers from Saleng himself, but the players offered a rather cryptic response.
"What caused the situation? A lot of things. A lot of things happened," Saleng responded to the interviewer.
The 27-year-old has since been loaned to Orbirt College for the 25/26 season. Meanwhile, Riveiro has been replaced by Abdeslam Ouaddou, who started his tenure with an MTN8 quarter-final win over Polokwane City on Saturday.
Photo: Gallo Images/Alche Greeff
