Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi believes that the newly-signed striker Iqraam Rayners will solve their goal-scoring dilemma but maintains that he must work hard to earn his spot in the starting line-up.
Rayners was unveiled as the new Sundowns signing in August, he joined on a long-term contract and will strengthen Mngqithi’s forward which includes veteran strikers like Peter Shalulile, Lucas Ribeiro and newcomer Arthur Sales.
Speaking during the Thursday pre-match press conference, Mngqithi revealed that the striker is settling well in the team, he scored in a friendly match that he was featured in. He added that he is looking forward to seeing more from him. He stressed the importance of ensuring that the forward is integrated smoothly into the team and that his addition does not cause a commotion.
“It’s a little bit of a tough one, I must be honest, because you also don’t want to induce stress and pressure on him. It’s very important that we manage that arrival and integration very well,”
“It can also destabilise our change room because, sometimes as coaches, we tend to look down on what we had before other players arrived, and that can cause a lot of problems in the change room. Added Mngqithi.
The 53-year-old coach added that the addition of Rayners must not make them overlook other strikers who have been on the team.
“Because I do believe when you’re playing a player like Iqraam, it’s because you want him to add on what we have, but it’s not that we want to minus certain individuals in the team. And it becomes very bad when, in the beginning of the season, you have not scored goals, and now you want to prioritise using particular players at the expense of other players.
“Because you don’t want to kill anyone, you want everybody to remain with a belief that they still have a chance here. If you just hand it over to Iqraam without him working hard for it, it may kill the other players that start to realise maybe their time at the club is up, the coach concluded.
The former Stellenbosch FC is expected to make his debut when the Brazilians take on Mbabane Swallows on Saturday 14 September in their CAF Champions League opener at Lucas Moripe Stadium.