Mngqithi’s verdict on Ribeiro, Mendieta and Maseko’s performances
Mamelodi Sundowns senior coach Manqoba Mngqithi has given his verdict on Lucas Ribeiro, Junior Mendieta and Thapelo Maseko‘s performances following their 2-2 draw in their first international game in Europe against KAA Gent Belgium.
Bafana Ba Style put on a magnificent performance on the day to earn the hard-fought draw against the Belgian Premier League side away from home.
Ribeiro, Mendieta and Maseko are among the new signings for Masandawana in this current transfer window period from Belgian club SK Beveren, Stellenbosch FC and SuperSport United.
MANQOBA MNGQITHI VERDICT ON RIBEIRO, MENDIETA AND MASEKO
Mngqithi was impressed with Ribeiro’s technical ability in the field of play and believes that he will score more goals for the team, as he was on the scoresheet when they faced KAA Gent Belgium yesterday.
“I am very impressed with Lucas, a technically unbelievable player who is going to score a lot of goals for us,” said Mngqithi in a post-match interview.
“He still has to work a lot in his intensity, in his defensive plays, pressing and all that, but offensively he’s adding a lot of value in what we have already.”
On the other hand, Mngqithi described Mendieta as one who will be able to work with Shalulile given his stellar pace and how good he is on setpieces.
“Then you’ve got Junior Mendieta. One player who is the hardest running offensive player who is going to complement Peter a lot with his pressing. Mendieta is going to complement even our setpieces because really he is also very strong,” he added.
“He came into this game in the second half and gave a very good account of himself. He created some very interesting moments and unfortunately hit the uprights with a header within one meter away from goals.
“But it was really encouraging to see how he ran and how he pushed himself in this game.”
‘HE SHOWED A LOT OF SPARK’, MNGQITHI ON MASEKO
The ex-Golden Arrows mentor went on to reveal that Maseko, who came in as a second-half substitute, showed a lot of spark, very good runs off the ball which really impressed.
“The last one is [Thapelo Maseko] who came in the second half as well and showed a lot of spark, very good runs off the ball, and unfortunately not to get clear-cut opportunities,” explained Mngqithi.
“There was one chance that I thought he should have cracked it but decided to pass Peter.
“In this match, there were about four if not five goals, unfortunately out of all of them only two were legitimate.”
RELATED STORY: Mamelodi Sundowns duo awaits decision as offers flood in