Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane admits he would have held on to striker Jose Ali Meza if he were registered as a local player.

The 28-year-old will be loaned out for the new season as the club’s foreign quota has already been filled by Ricardo Nascimento, Bangaly Soumahoro, Luis Miquissone, Gaston Sirino, Mauricio Affonso and Emiliano Tade.

However, it remains unclear where the Venezuelan-born forward will end up this campaign after Maritzburg United coach Eric Tinkler confirmed that the Team of Choice will not be signing the South American after his short trial.

Since joining the Brazilians from Bolivian outfit Club Deportivo Oriente Petrolero, Meza has found the back of the net once and claimed one assist from 13 appearances in all competitions for Sundowns.

Mosimane insists that he would like to keep Meza, but he faces stiff competition from Sirino, who is his first choice in attack.

‘Ali wants to play, Ali wants a team to play. I am not the guy who will stop Ali from playing. I’m going to give him any chance that he thinks is right to play. Because if I am not going to give him game time, I should allow him to go get game time somewhere,’ Mosimane told the media.

‘The challenge is that we spend a lot of money in acquiring these players and now Maritzburg want him. Then we are going to try find a way to make sure everybody is happy.

‘I think you should ask Tinkler why he wants Ali Meza to trial. I don’t make [Lebohang] Maboe to trial from Maritzburg and I wanted Ndlovu also, but I would not make him trial. You know why? Because I know the players. But if he wants to check, why not? But I know Ali Meza is a good player.

‘Ali Meza does not play not because he is not a good player. It’s because he is competing with Mshishi and Sirino, and that’s what keeps him out. That’s the situation. If Ali Meza was a local player, I’d keep him,’ he concluded.