Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Rulani Mokwena has confirmed the exit of the Ethiopian attacker Abubeker Nasir.
According to Transfermarkt, Mamelodi Sundowns has decided to release Abubeker Nasir as they pave way for new foreign players.
Nasir joined Masandawana in 2022 from the Ethiopian giants Coffee SC. The 24-year-old forward came with high expectations after scoring 29 goals for his former team in the 2021/22 season.
The talented attacker was also named Best Young Player and The Most Valuable Player in the Ethiopian Premier League before joining Sundowns.
In his first season at Sundowns, Nasir showed a glimpse of a good player after scoring a brilliant goal on debut against Kaizer Chiefs in August 2022.
Nasir has seen his progress at Sundowns hindered by persistent injuries. The utility player has played 18 games in all competitions since he arrived at Downs and scored four goals.
Interestingly, the number nine jersey, previously associated with Nasir, has been taken over by Sundowns’ new player, Esquivel. Masandawana currently have Marcelo Allende, Lucas Ribeiro, Junior Mendieta, Abdelmounaim Boutouil and Matias Esquivel as five registered foreigners.
Article 34.2 of the National Soccer League [NSL] handbook states that: “A member club may not have more than five foreign players contracted with it at any point in time.’’
One foreign player was de-registered from Sundowns to accommodate Esquivel’s debut against Pirates. While speculation points to Nasir, official confirmation is pending.
Peter Shalulile, Devine Lunga, Denis Onyango, and Brian Onyango are registered as locals as they hold permanent South African residency.
HOW RULANI MOKWENA SPOKE ABOUT THE INJURY OF NASIR EARLIER THIS YEAR
With the growing concern emerging about Nasir’s injury, Rulani Mokwena has given a worrying update on the star and hinted that he might be on his way out earlier this year
“I think with Nasir, the club will make an announcement, but Nasir has got a very difficult and complicated injury that he sustained in the Pirates game against [Siyabonga] Mpontshane,” Mokwena said.
“He hasn’t recovered, and he’s really struggling to recover, which is a bit unfortunate because when you use the term career-threatening, that type of a situation is really career-threatening.
“He needs all the support that we can give him; of course, he’s at a good club that looks after its players. So he’s in the right place, and hopefully, we’ll see him back sooner rather than later.”
The Mamelodi Sundowns head coach has now confirmed that indeed the player is no longer at Mamelodi Sundowns, so, he would prefer not talking about him going forward.
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