Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso on Monnapule Saleng second chance after disciplinary issues: 'In other clubs he would not be in this process'

The Mamelodi Sundowns boss Miguel Cardoso has confirmed that the choice to welcome the explosive winger back into the fold was a unified move from the club's power brokers.

Rather than a unilateral coaching call, the decision involved a collaborative evaluation featuring multiple figures from the executive level down to the playing staff.

Cardoso highlighted the attacker's impeccable behavior throughout his period of exile as the catalyst for his redemption, noting that he met every internal benchmark for professionalism.

“Look, in the same way I spoke about Saleng when I last spoke about him, we as a club, me, the Sport Director, the players, the captains and the chairman, we decided to give ourselves and Saleng an opportunity to move forward in a positive way,” the coach revealed as quoted on iDiski Times.

Cardoso elaborated on the steps taken during the player’s time away from the first-team environment, praising his work ethic while training in isolation.

“Saleng trained during a period alone, and he trained quite consistently and with respect for the values that we need to have inside a professional team. And since he joined the team, he has kept that path.

"So we are happy that he shows consistency in training,” the tactician noted, signalling a fresh start for the talented star.

Although Saleng has rejoined his teammates, Cardoso was eager to emphasize that returning to training is no guarantee of immediate playing time.

The head coach made it clear that the competition for places remains fierce, meaning a comeback on the grass does not translate to an automatic start.

The manager drew attention to the immense depth within the current Sundowns roster, pointing out that selection headaches are now a constant feature.

Even the club's most decorated stars are feeling the heat, with several high-profile names currently struggling to even secure a spot on the bench.

The relationship between a player and a coach is vital for success, and Cardoso is working hard to ensure that his bond with Saleng is restored.

“Obviously, his time will appear in a certain moment, I’m pretty sure. When will it be? I don’t know.

"Obviously, as you also understand, I’ve been stating that, in this year, this season, we have more options in the front than we had in the past,” the coach continued.

“You see, Arthur [Sales] is not here; Lebo Mothiba was here, but he’s not on the bench even. We have [Monnapule] Saleng, Tsiki [Ntsabeleng].

"So, there are other players that also were not here today. They have to, between commas, fight between themselves to get a position.

"He will appear; I’m pretty sure he will appear. And it’s a player that we trust.

"When I mean trust, we are trying to create a positive relation between the parties so that I can trust him and he can trust me; we can trust each other.”

The public display of unity between coach and Saleng during the MTN8 trophy celebrations was a calculated move by Cardoso to show his backing for the returning star.

“And at that moment, he will for sure be able to perform. You saw me celebrating with him, pushing him to lift the cup of the MTN8 because I support him, I totally support him,” Cardoso added.

“I think that we are a special club on that. Probably in other clubs he would not be in this process.

"But in Mamelodi Sundowns, we do want the best for everybody, and we take ourselves to the limit in order to get what we want and to give what we want, to give to the football players,” he concluded.