Fringe players add bite to Sundowns

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi has hailed the resurgence of Gaston Sirino, Lebohang Maboe and George Maluleke, saying the trio are like new signings as they’ve performed brilliantly of late after shaking off some hardships.

Sirino put in a man-of-the-match display when Sundowns dispatched third-tier side Summerfield Dynamos in the Nedbank Cup quarterfinal at Loftus Versfeld Stadium at the weekend. Sirino managed one goal and three assists. Kermit Erasmus netted a brace while Lesedi Kapinga and Pavol Safranko were also on target.

Having just returned ahead of schedule from a severe knee injury that kept him out for many months, Maboe has hit the ground running, racking up three assists in four games across all competitions. Maluleka may have missed the Summerfield game but his two assists and a goal in the past two games he’s played have earned him plaudits from Mngqithi.

“At this stage a player like Gaston is a new acquisition for us. When you look at Gaston, you’re saying this is one additional member to the squad because he’s played and he's fresh. It’s the same thing with Lebo, we’ve gained another player in him because he’s not been around for the longest of time ... it’s like he’s a new acquisition,” said Mngqithi.

“The same applies with George ... when you see a player who  hasn’t been playing really stamping his authority when he is given an opportunity it says to us we may be looking like a team that has just signed three new players.”

Mngqithi implied the resurgence of the fringe players was starting to give the coaching staff selection headaches.

“I must give credit to the coaches and the players that we are now comfortable to rotate without any fear that it might cause problems for us. Maybe that is why we’ve now played more than 32 players in this campaign, which is very positive for us,” he said.

Sundowns host Golden Arrows in a league tie at Loftus on Tuesday at 3pm.