SALENG FUTURE IN DOUBT There may be a potential impact of Jose Riveiro's departure on Monnapule Saleng's future at Orlando Pirates amidst wage dispute rumours, and speculation grows concerning his next move. Picture: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix
Image: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix
After the shock announcement of Jose Riveiro’s resignation on Thursday, effective at the end of the season, Orlando Pirates fans may be left wondering if Monnapule Saleng may also be leaving the club soon.
Saleng has not featured for Pirates since December, and with no apparent injury, his absence is believed to be down to a wage dispute.
The club, however, has not confirmed anything about the Salenge issue except that he is not on the latest injury list released earlier this week.
The connection between Saleng and Riviero, though, was made last month.
According to a Soccer Laduma source, getting Saleng back into the Pirates team could be one of the top priorities for Riveiro: “He [Saleng] was one of the first names on the coach’s lineups. It is without a doubt that he is one of the players whose talent the coach admires. The coach would love to have him in his team again, even if it's beyond this season.”
Riveiro spoke about the Saleng issue for the first time. Even though he did not reveal much, reading between the lines gave some good insight into the situation.
“I don't think about players when we win or when we don't win. I think no one would like to be in this situation when we started the season, but it is what it is,” said Riveiro.
Now with Riveiro’s resignation, it puts a new spin on the Saleng saga.
Saleng was last in action for Pirates on December 7 when they hosted Al Ahly in a Caf Champions League match at Orlando Stadium, which ended in a goalless draw.
Saleng, however, was selected for Bafana Bafana in their African Nations Championship (Chan) qualifier in Bloemfontein last month and, by all accounts, delivered a top performance.