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Orbit College coach Pogiso Makhonye has raised concerns over Monnapule Saleng’s contribution to the team, suggesting they might perform better without the Orlando Pirates loanee.
Saleng’s move to Orbit was seen as a chance to revive his career, with Makhonye publicly backing the winger and even handing him the captain’s armband on arrival.
However, speaking on Metro FM’s Sports Night Amplified with Andile Ncube, Makhonye admitted the player’s performances have been underwhelming and hinted at possible changes.
"So far I think he's not given us what we expected from him as a big player. A player that comes in as a big name, so, those are the things that you need to sit down and check as a team, to say, is it really affecting the team, are we playing better when he's in the team or when he's not in the team,” Makhonye said.
“So, those are the things that we need to look at, those are the things that in these two weeks we need to assess ourselves. With him also, to say, you need to up your game because we play top games on Tuesday, you came back to the team, we became a different team because on Tuesday everybody was working, everybody could run.
“I think that's the mentality, that's why I'm saying in both ways, to say, you must lead us as a big player, now the weight is on him, so if he's not in, everybody is putting their 110% but when he's inside the field, they tend to say, we rely on you to lead us."
Makhonye conceded he may have made a mistake by handing Saleng the captaincy and thrusting a player who had barely featured at Pirates into a leading role too soon.
"No, I am not rethinking the decision, remember there are five games, it's all about, these boys have been playing all along without a big name and now he's here, you need to accomodate him, they need to accomodate him,” the coach explained.
“Now they want to rely on him, is he ready to lead? Maybe we are giving him too much responsibility, we need to assist him."
