It's rare that a Mamelodi Sundowns striker is excused from chasing the Golden Boot, but new man Fiston Abdul is apparently expected to ease into his role as one of the club's top marksmen.

Pitso Mosimane, the Sundowns coach, suggested that his assessment would be different if the Burundian, who scored in his first match in the MTN8 quarterfinal clash against Bloemfontein Celtic last week, was not top scorer in his debut season in the Premier League.

The coach has raised eyebrows with his selection of Abdul ahead of Cuthbert Malajila, the club's top scorer last season, in the penalty shootout defeat against Celtic and in their league opener against Platinum Stars, which ended in a goalless draw.

"As a coach, I had to reward him [Abdul] for scoring against Celtic because if he gets an important goal and is then on the bench for the next game I've killed his spirit. I need to reward the good things," Mosimane explained.

"Let's be patient with Fiston. I think to have scored one in two matches is good. And if he can do that in SA, it means he can be top goal scorer with 15 goals out of 30 and you win the award. But let's give him time."

Another significant change Mosimane has made in the new season is at right back where he has moved midfield hardman Asavela Mbekile.

"He gives us quality and speed," the coach said. "You can see that in how he ran with Tlou Segolela [Stars winger], one of the fastest players in this league. His positional sense is not bad either."