Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso said the exit of Matias Esquivel was necessary becasuse of various circumstances and opened up on his lack of game time under himself and Rulani Mokwena.
Greek side FC Kifisia confirmed the season-long loan for the Argentine midfielder who joined Sundowns from Premiera Leagie side CA Lanus, with major expectations due to his profile in his homeland.
However, he was a bit part player and was later loaned to one of his former clubs CA Talleres as he looked to rediscover his form and happiness back in Argentina.
Upon his return to the club, he was once again outcasted, which Cardoso went in depth to explain it wasn’t about a lack of quality from the attacker.
“Matias is a player that came to Sundowns, not with me, but with Mr Rulani Mokwena, so if he didn’t have chances and didn’t succeed, in that time he went back to Argentina, so I had nothing to do with him coming to the club, so don’t put pressure on me regarding Matias Esquivel,” Cardoso said.
“He’s a very good players, you will see him succeed where he goes. Sometimes the contexts we create, because also I didn’t give him many opportunities, wasn’t just coach Rulani – me also. So we’re seated side by side on the question of Matias.
“We didn’t give him many chances, probably by different reasons, I don’t know what happened before, but he eventually didn’t work or persevere or was constant on telling me I want to play, I want to play, I want to play – which is said by training hard, better than the others.
“Players need to show in training they are better than the ones that are playing in the same positions, for example – let’s think about Maseko, he can play on left-wide open, on the right and as a number nine because he’s very accurare in space and can finish.
“On the left we have Mabena and Tashreeq, so when Thapelo doesn’t go on the left, it’s Mabena and Tashreeq getting chances, if he doesn’t play on the right because there’s Arthur, before there was Lucas Ribeiro and Kutlwano.
“And he doesn’t play up front because there’s Iqraam Rayners or Peter Shalulile – so when people say put this one in, or the player says put me to play – he should understand that he is saying he’s better than the one in those places, but he was not showing that to make him play.”
Cardoso went on to state it’s part of the reason he’s been aiming to trim the squad to improve the overall morale of the squad and increase game time available for the players at his disposal over the course of the season.
“It’s so difficult in Sundowns, and remember you asked me why do you want to reduce the squad, exactly because of that, because I don’t want players to not have chances to fight for objectives they believe so much – I respect these players that don’t play,” he continued.
“I respect the ones who don’t play, more than the ones who do play, because they arrive at home wanting to give love to their families and they are sad, they are not happy, the kids ask papa why you don’t play, why are you here not in the hotel. Why are we going to the stands and you’re not there. This is not beautiuful and very hard for a coach to know this.
“Matias suffered a lot here, he suffered a lot here in this club and there’s a moment where we as human being is not a context for him to be here – despite his quality, nobody should doubt that because he is quality. But because of what happened before with coach Rulani that he didn’t play, and when he came back in December we had expectations that he could play.
“But the other ones became better than him and gave him no chances, there were others who I gave chances and showed they were better than him – and he was suffering, his family was suffering, his wife didn’t want to come back, his kids didn’t want to come back.
“So what can you say to a humane being under those circumstances other than okay, the club invested in you, let’s try and find a solution where we don’t lose money and make you be happy – they can’t perform when they are not happy but suddenly there’s a change and boom, they go – I believe that well happen to Matias, he’s quality player and wonderful boy.”
