Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena insists that Junior Mendieta is not at the club to replace talisman Themba Zwane.

The Argentine has been a regular in the Sundowns squad having already made four appearances in the DStv Premiership, missing just one match in the league.

The 30-year-old scored his first goal and the winning goal for the Brazilians in their 1-0 victory over Richards Bay at the King Zwelithini Stadium on Wednesday evening.

Mokwena admits that Mendieta is not here to replace “generational talent” Zwane but to add more quality to the Brazilians’ attacking options.
“Mendieta is not here to replace Themba Zwane. You can’t replace Mshishi. But of course, we can play without Mshishi. He is special and he is a generation of talent,” Mokwena told the media after the match.

“Mendieta gives us a lot of options. When we signed him, we spoke about it already. He’s got qualities that we like a lot, his passion, his drive and his aggression is very good.

“He is a player that we anticipate to use a lot from different positions.”

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