What had promised to be another fruitful season for Monnapule Saleng at Orlando Pirates is now threatening to turn otherwise.
Saleng has found himself in a difficult situation and frozen out of the match-day squad due to issues relating to his contract.
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The 26-year-old started out the season with hope, scoring five (plus one assist) in 13 appearances.
However, from being a regular in the last two seasons and being heavily involved in August and September, he then played twice in October, once in November and again once in December, before completely disappearing.
As it stands, he has now missed 18 games this season.
The only hope for Saleng is that Pirates can still play another 25 games this term if they reach the finals of both the Nedbank Cup and CAF Champions League.
So, should the contract issues be resolved this season, then there are plenty games to play for the left-footer who has given Pirates thrills from the wing.
Saleng delivered 26 goal contributions in his first season playing for the Soweto giants after returning from his loan at Moroka Swallows.
In that campaign, which was Jose Riveiro's first at the club, he scored the winner in the MTN8 final and then provided an assist in the Nedbank Cup decider.
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The 26-year-old kept on moving last term with 10 goals/assists, which ignited interest from UAE club Al Nasr ,who were going to vastly improve his earnings.
Had the move gone through, his annual package would have started at a tax-free USD700 000 (approx. R12,8 million), a huge improvement from his current contract at Pirates.