Mamelodi Sundowns are reportedly considering naturalising Erwin Saavedra as a solution to their foreign player overload.
The Tshwane giants currently have seven foreign players on their books, exceeding the PSL’s limit of five.
Coach Manqoba Mngqithi has confirmed that the club is exploring options to address this issue, hinting at a potential naturalization process for the Bolivian midfielder.
With a wealth of foreign talent at their disposal, including the likes of Abdelmounaim Boutouil, Marcello Allende, and Lucas Ribeiro, Sundowns are faced with the challenge of either releasing players or finding a way to register their full squad.
Despite the challenge, Mngqithi remains optimistic about the situation. Mngqithi said on Marawa Sports Worldwide,
What if Saavedra is naturalised? I am just asking! Let’s wait, I also do not know about these things. I just enjoy it when I see these talented players around me doing well. He (Saavedra) played in the friendly against Marumo (Gallants), and he had an exceptional game,”
“And in training, we are all excited because the truth is that nobody knows what Saavedra is capable of in South Africa because he got injured now and again. But Believe me, there is so much that boy is supposed to give Sundowns.
“Maybe the resources and not even the amount of time sometimes (can fast-track the process of naturalise him). This issue of naturalisation is because of what you have in terms of assets and if you have got assets that amount to a certain amount of money it puts you in a position to say you can survive in this country without needing or taking our jobs.
“So there is that process and the process of being in South Africa for five years. I think Alje Schut is a case in point the same thing happened to him he was not in South Africa for five years, but he was naturalised based on what he had in terms of financial freedom, so we have no pressure of releasing any player at this stage.”