Orlando Pirates legend Lucky Lekgwathi feels Monnapule Saleng would have made a difference if he featured in the second half of the season.
The 27-year-old has not played for the club since December 7, 2024, even though he has been training with the team. It is reported that the dispute between Saleng and the Pirates centres around wages, but neither the club nor the player has confirmed this.
Having started the 2024/25 season on a high, the Buccaneers had a slump midseason, which saw them only clinching the MTN8.
Bucs legend Lucky Lekgwathi feels the squad is good enough to compete next season for top honours yet again.
Will Saleng ever feature for Pirates?
“I think we have depth in the squad,” Lekgwathi told iDiski Times.
“In previous seasons, I have complained about the number of players in each position, but now you can see it. For example, the defenders, Tapelo [Xoki] came in, he did good, when he’s out [Nkosinathi] Sibisi is there, and now [Mbekezeli] Mbokazi is bossing the backline, and we still have the likes of [Olisa] Ndah and [Innocent] Maela on the bench. I think there is competition and a healthy one at that in all the positions,” he said.
The former Pirates captain said the Saleng matter almost ruined the club’s season.
“The danger of having too many players in the team even the coach won’t be able to focus. The only thing I think almost ruined things was the [Monnapule] Saleng matter. If we didn’t have that issue, I think we’d be talking a different story because you’d know we have depth on the left and on the right,” he said.
It remains to be seen if Saleng will ever play for Pirates again.
Should Saleng look for another club?
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