William Shongwe predicts birthday boy Monnapule Saleng will soar at Mamelodi Sundowns

Former Mamelodi Sundowns keeper William Shongwe has hailed the Brazilians’ signing of Monnapule Saleng in January.

Though Saleng has played just two games for Sundowns since joining, that included an influential role in his side’s 2-0 Betway Premiership win over Orbit College on Wednesday.

In fact, Orbit College was the team Saleng was loaned out by Orlando Pirates before he joined Sundowns.

As Saleng celebrates his 28th birthday on Friday, Shongwe spoke highly of the player.

Saleng’s Potential Impact at Sundowns

“When a team signs a striker, they don't look for everything else that somebody else produces. They look for the one thing that you can bring into the team. Saleng playing as an inverted was always the best at Pirates, with his left foot obviously operating on the right side. You do get an out-and-out wide right attacking player,” Shongwe told Sportsboom.co.za.

“So you need that variety, and it's not like he's going to play 90 minutes. You need to be able to change the formation of a club during the game to afford you certain opportunities as the game develops. So he is clever like that. He can offer that to Sundowns, and that definitely is something that will be of great value.”

The winger did not play for over six months for Pirates last year, with a rumoured fallout with management and coach Jose Riveiro.

The reason for his absence from the team was never divulged, although the Pirates documentary Giants, which aired on SuperSport, showed that the youngster could have had problems with his mental health.

“You see, when a team decides on a player, it's because they want something specific from him,” said Shongwe.

“So let's see how he fares. But having played for a big team like Pirates, it shouldn't be a big problem for him to fit into the Sundowns structure.”

@Michael_Sherman

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