Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena has said that he wants one more signing for his team following an injury crisis.
Mokwena told the media on Saturday that while the club had already signed five players in the off-season, he felt that one more was needed to give the team the best chance of success.
“We went into the off-season, and the analysis of our squad was that to go to the next level, we needed five players,” Mokwena said. “Fortunately, with the support of the Motsepe family – the football club – we’ve got our five.
“We are extremely grateful for that, really. What has happened has caught us a little bit with pants down and unawares. We’ve had some excellent discussions internally with the football club, and they know my feelings.”
Mokwena said the player he wanted to sign was a quality addition, not just to fill numbers.
“You need one more in a qualitative perspective and not just to add numbers,” he said. “My only trust now is to focus on the time we have during the FIFA break with the hard work of the medical department and the conditioning team, particularly the bios and staff that work with recuperating players.
“My focus is assisting them to make sure we recover Nassir, Thapelo Morena, Peter Shalulile and Thapelo Maseko. If we get those players back, we should be alright because that was the initial analysis, but as I said, that now rests with the football club.
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RULANI MOKWENA IS CONFIDENT
Mokwena is confident that Mamelodi Sundowns can still be successful this season, even if they don’t make any more signings.
“For sure, the club will then make the necessary solutions, best possible for the football club going forward for what’s going to be a difficult season for us,” he said. “But I’m confident we have the quality in the squad to do well.”
Sundowns are the defending champions of the South African Premier League and will be looking to win the title again this season. They will also be competing in the CAF Champions League.