Jose Riveiro’s contract renewal hints at Monnapule Saleng's return to the Pirates squad

Riveiro’s three-year contract ends on June 30, and it would be almost a foregone conclusion that the Spaniard renews his deal given his results with the club.

According to a Soccer Laduma source, getting Saleng back into the Pirates team could be one of the top priorities for Riveiro: “He [Saleng] was one of the first names on the coach’s lineups. It is without a doubt that he is one of the players whose talent the coach admires. The coach would love to have him in his team again, even if it's beyond this season.”

Last week, Riveiro spoke about the Saleng issue for the first time. Even though he did not reveal much, reading between the lines gave some good insight into the situation.

“I don't think about players when we win or when we don't win. I think no one would like to be in this situation when we started the season, but it is what it is,” said Riveiro.

“It’s something that, as you know, is not my role to speak so much about that issue. I just wish the best for both sides in this case, and we don't... whatever I say is going to be a big headline, right?”

Riveiro went on to intimate that Saleng may not want to be at the club, as he talked about other players with ‘hunger’.

“But we focus on the place that we have. That's it. I think luckily we have a lot of talent in the team.

“We have players with a lot of hunger, wanting to use their opportunities. Like I said many times, the opportunities are presented there for them.

“We have players in every position capable of doing their job. That's it. We have to leave the moment and look for the future. The future for us is to get ready tomorrow for a big match on the weekend. There's no time to think so much about who is there or who is not.”

@Michael_Sherman

IOL Sport