Eric Tinkler uses Salah to push Makgalwa to next level

Sekhukhune United coach Eric Tinkler has challenged the club’s star player Keletso Makgalwa to elevate his performance, using Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah as a benchmark.

Tinkler believes the former Mamelodi Sundowns player has the potential to achieve even more than he did last season.
Makgalwa had a standout 2024/25 campaign, earning nominations for Player’s Player of the Season and Player of the Season, awards ultimately won by Mamelodi Sundowns’ Lucas Ribeiro.

Despite starting the new season with an assist in a 3-2 win against TS Galaxy, Tinkler feels his winger can push his performance to the next level.

Speaking after Sekhukhune’s 2-0 loss to Stellenbosch FC on Saturday in the first leg of the MTN8 semifinal, Tinkler explained his message to Makgalwa. “I was explaining that to Keletso [Makgalwa] for an example. I told him, ‘Keletso, you are a target now. Last year, you had top assists. You were up there for player of the year, and you are a target now. So everybody is going to assess you, and you have to up your game.'”

Tinkler drew a direct comparison to Salah, noting the similarities in their playing styles. Both players are known for cutting in from the wing.

“I said, ‘now you compare yourself to Mo Salah. Mo Salah does the same as you; he cuts in and he still scores goals. You are also cutting in, but they are dealing with you.'”

“‘So there is something that you are obviously doing wrong. So you have to raise your level.'”