“I still believe in him. I think the boy just needs to gain his confidence and get support,” said Vilakazi.
Former Orlando Pirates captain Benedict “Tso” Vilakazi has welcomed Monnapule Saleng’s move to Mamelodi Sundowns, saying the player needed such a move in order to get back to his best.
On Friday, Sundowns announced that the 27-year-old winger has joined them from their rivals, in a move that caught the South African football fraternity by surprise.
READ MORE: Sundowns snap up Saleng in surprise transfer
“Masandawana is proud to welcome midfielder Monnapule Saleng to the Club,” read a short message on Sundowns’ official X account. On Saturday, Pirates also confirmed that Saleng had left the club.
Vilakazi, who played for both Pirates and Sundowns during his playing career, has welcomed the move, but warned that the Brazilians need to manage Saleng well if they are to get the best out of him.
“I still believe in him. And I think the boy just needs to gain his confidence and get support,” said Vilakazi on iDiski TV.
Tso still believes in Saleng
“I think there’s one thing a lot of coaches always miss is having player management. And I think he needs a coach that will manage him before we expect good things from the boy in the field. But I think they still need to get him.
“They need to understand him, and he needs to understand where the team and where the coach is coming from, the players, what it is that they want and where the team wants to move.
“I still believe in the boy strongly. Maybe he will give us 10 goals and with time maybe 15,” added Vilakazi.
Saleng becomes the sixth player to move from Pirates to Sundowns since 2007 after Gift Moremi, who joined the Brazilians during the 2007/08 season. Lebohang Mokoena also made the switch during the 2009/10 season.
Then it was Teko Modise – a fan favourite at Pirates – who also swapped the black and white colours of Pirates for the yellow colour of Sundowns during the 2010/11 season.
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Oupa Manyisa also made the shock switch to Sundowns in 2017, though it was a move that never truly worked out. Manyisa battled to secure a regular starting place at Sundowns beyond his first season and managed just 32 starts and one goal in all three campaigns before he was let go.
The last player to join Sundowns from Pirates is Thembinkosi Lorch, who moved to the Brazilians in January 2024.