Sirino still unsettled at Sundowns, Mokwena reveals

Gaston Sirino can easily be described as a trouble-child at Mamelodi Sundowns, given his history of sulking and now, he is said to have lost focus, which is why Masandawana fans have not seen much of him this season.

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Just to jog your memory, Sirino wanted to join Al-Ahly in the previous transfer window, and by all indications, he probably had his bags packed and his Visa ready but Downs were having none of it as they fended Ahly’s offer away, leaving Sirino stranded and stuck at Chloorkop. He even took his precious time in linking up with his teammates for pre-season drills.

Now, his coach, Rulani Mokwena has suggested that the Uruguayan attacking wizard is not focused and still needs to fight for his place in the team. In fact, Mokwena showed very little enthusiasm when addressing members of the media about Sirino, instead, he said he’d rather speak about players who are currently taking to the pitch at Downs.   

“Gaston is a top football player, he has so many qualities that he could give to the team and yes we miss his creativity and ability to solve problems with one action but given that, we need a Gaston who is at his highest level with full focus and concentration.

“At this moment, this is the challenge that he has. He has a challenge to come back to the team and he competes for a position like everybody else. We are in a position where we as coaches use the best available players who are in the best condition at the moment so that we can win football games,” said Mokwena.

“The other players are playing exceptionally well, not just to win football matches but to create a healthy and competitive environment. Unfortunately that means we can only field 11 players. Last week we had Reyaad Pieterse in goals and he was fantastic,” Mokwena added.

Of all the players who have had a run out this season, the likes of Hlompho Kekana, George Maluleka, Promise Mkhuma, Lesedi Kapinga, are yet to make appearances this season, while the likes of Kermit Erasmus, Haashim Domingo and Sibusiso Vilakazi are looking to establish themselves as starters. Mokwena has reassured them that their time will come.

“We have a technical team that trusts the team and we train them to make sure that everybody understands the schemes and the tactical culture. There are still a lot of players who will still get opportunities. Maluleka has been fantastic in training. Kapinga is showing some rejuvenation and fight. We’ve signed Pule Maraisane, who is working extremely hard to get into the best physical condition. Sifiso Ngobeni is also making promises of coming back, so we’ve got a squad that has really good depth and quality.”