Mamelodi Sundowns coach, Manqoba Mngqithi, has shed light on the reasons behind Gaston Sirino‘s departure from the club.
Last week, the 33-year-old joined Amakhosi on a two-year deal and is expected to play a pivotal role in coach Nasreddine Nabi’s rebuild.
In an interview with Robert Marawa on MSW, Mngqithi highlighted specific positional limitations that hindered Sirino’s role at Sundowns.
Mngqithi believes that the club’s focus on developing younger talent influenced their decision to let Sirino go.
When you look at the players that we have signed, now we are trying to have [Siyabonga] Mabena also becoming a dominant feature in our team. [Thapelo] Maseko becoming a dominant feature in our team.
“We’ve got Kutlwano [Letlhaku], who is also doing very well. We’ve got Lesiba Nku, who is also doing well. We’ve got [Kobamelo] Kodisang, we’ve got Lucas Ribeiro in these wide channels.”
During the interview, Mngqithi highlighted specific positional limitations that hindered Sirino’s role at Sundowns.
“And Gaston cannot play as a nine, maybe as a false nine. In a three-man midfield, he’s also not gonna be there. So, we don’t want to stifle the growth and the development of youngsters.”
While acknowledging Sirino’s abilities, Mngqithi suggested that the recent signings might justify Sundowns’ decision to release the winger.
“But the truth of the matter, he’s still a very good player and discipline-wise, he’s very disciplined.”
“I think the players we have signed are going to maybe prove whether it was a wrong decision for the club to let him go. Or it was the right decision, but let’s just wait and see,” he concluded.
The decision to release Sirino has been a subject of debate, but Mngqithi believes time will tell if it was the correct move for the club.