Monnapule Saleng’s revived form delights Jose Riveiro

Riveiro was speaking after Saleng deservedly got the Man of the Award after a 3-1 win over SuperSport United in the MTN8 quarterfinal match at Orlando Stadium last night.

He scored the second goal, having provided an assist for Olisah Ndah’s opener.

The Bafana Bafana attacker struggled with form last season, but Riveiro believes he's now in a better space.

"If I compare this preseason with the past preseason, he's in a better space definitely. His performances in Spain were really good and today he showed what he's capable of. He's surrounded by good players at the same time, doing a lot of things for him but I think today he had a really good night, and was a permanent threat for the opponent," said Riveiro.

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There was a time during the off-season when Saleng was also linked with a loan move following a difficult season, but Riveiro expects him to be one of their key players going forward and, hopefully, better his return of 15 goals and 11 assists from 30 matches in his first full season at Pirates.

"He looks really happy now after the match, so I'm sure it's going to help him to hope for a good season one more time. We miss him a little bit, so we are all happy to see these type of performances again. It's been a long time since he's been crowned Man of the Match, if I'm not wrong, so it's a good thing," he added.