Miguel Cardoso gives Thapelo Maseko, Monnapule Saleng updates

SABC Sport previously revealed the Bafana Bafana international was left out of Sundowns' pre-season tour to Austria after returning from a loan spell in Cyprus and now Danish giants FC Copenhagen are understood to be among the clubs interested in signing the 22-year-old.

Cardoso explained that the situation is no longer in his hands and insisted there is nothing personal behind Maseko's exclusion. 

"Very simple and very objective, first of all between coach Miguel and Thapelo Maseko there's no issues. Yesterday I had a beautiful talk with Maseko, when I was asked inside the club, when we had to discuss the situation of Maseko, obviously we had to understand if he wanted to stay with us or not because I don't want to work with players that don't want to be part of our group,” Cardoso said.

“So, my question to Thapelo, even yesterday I asked him, my heart is open for you, the team is open for you if you want to join us and stay open heart with us. Obviously when a player says I want to go to another place then it becomes the club's question not the coach's question. 

“So, I'm not really deep inside the conversations that are happening, so I cannot give more explanations, rather than say Thapelo is a wonderful boy, we like him very much.”

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The Portuguese mentor added that he’d been in contact with Maseko during the FIFA World Cup, where the winger scored for Bafana against South Korea in a decisive match, however Sundowns will determine the best way forward. 

Cardoso also provided an update on another attacking player in Monnapule Saleng. 

"Regarding Saleng, the situation is unfortunately very different. Saleng consecutively broke the rules and the values of the locker room and of the club and at this moment, he's not training, not in this moment, for some time already, he's not training with the team," the coach explained.

The Sundowns coach elaborated further, revealing that Saleng had been selected for the second leg of their CAF Champions League final tie against AS FAR in Rabat but the player absconded. 

"Just for you to understand, Saleng was on the list for the second match of the Champions League and he didn't appear. Saleng was on the list to go on camp, he didn't appear or he said he will not go, so it's impossible for us to keep stability with a player that we gave so much love, even after systematic mistakes but is not willing to make the the best that a team in his level has to have."