Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro recently addressed questions surrounding the absence of winger Monnapule Saleng, emphasizing that providing updates on individual players is not part of his responsibilities.
When asked about Saleng’s whereabouts, Riveiro remained tight-lipped, making it clear that updates on players’ fitness are matters for the club to address, not him.
Saleng enjoyed a strong start to the current season, contributing five goals in 13 appearances, including a memorable strike in the MTN8 final. However, his last appearance for the club came in December during a match against Al Ahly. Since then, Saleng has been noticeably absent from the squad, leading to widespread speculation about his future with the Might Buccaneers.
Ahead of Orlando Pirates’ Nedbank Cup clash with Baroka, Riveiro was again questioned about Saleng’s situation as well as the overall injury status of his squad. The coach, however, refrained from divulging any specifics, reinforcing his stance that such matters would only be communicated by the club when deemed necessary.
“I don’t speak about health of my players, it’s something that belongs in the private space,” he stated when asked about Saleng and other sidelined players.
“The moment that the club feels it’s the time to speak about which players are injured, how long it’s going to take, which step of the process, they do it.
“It’s not in my job description to – like I said – it’s not an ethic thing. I know it would be nice to know how close is Olisa [Ndah] or [Goodman] Mosele and what’s happening with Saleng but it’s not gonna happen [here].
The Sowetans are in action this weekend in the Nedbank Cup, with their fixture against Baroka FC set to kick off at 15:00 on Saturday, 15 February 2025.