Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has issued a plea to temper expectations, warning against comparisons between a club’s attacker and Lucas Ribeiro, insisting the player must be allowed to forge his own path.
Cardoso was speaking after Sundowns beat AmaZulu FC 2-0 in the Betway Premiership on Tuesday night at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria.
This was the defending champions’ response to their disappointing 1-1 with Chippa United in the league opener over the past weekend.
Cardoso heaped praise on the Brazilians attacking midfielder Arthur Sales, likening his goal-scoring abilities to those of Iqraam Rayners and Peter Shalulile. Given the criticism he’s faced, Cardoso argued that Sales deserves the same fair treatment and expectations as his teammates, despite joining the club for a high transfer fee.
The Sundowns coach also cautioned that people shouldn’t expect Sales to be a replica of his countryman Lucas Ribeiro. The latter has been heavily linked with an exit to several clubs abroad.
CARDOSO EXPECTS A LOT FROM SALES THIS SEASON
“I understood that there’s a lot of misunderstanding towards Arthur Sales and people judging too much on him,” said Cardoso.
“First of all, people should look at him and think now that he plays on the right, believe they will see Lucas Ribeiro. There’s no one who’ll be Lucas Ribeiro on the pitch. And the coach isn’t looking for a player that will be Lucas Ribeiro. Lucas is Lucas, Arthur is Arthur, each player has their qualities.
“Arthur is a quality player, a very good player. When he arrived in South Africa, he didn’t get the attention and the credit he deserves.
“I think now gradually people are starting to understand him. And if you look at his numbers and how he impacted the team last season when he entered the pitch. Sales is always giving goals and assists. He was important.”
Cardoso added: “He scores goals very easily and will score goals throughout the season like Peter [Shalulile] like Iqraam [Rayners]. He’s a player that has a good relationship with the goal and can also provide assists.
“If you bring the player [from outside of the country], the next day you can’t expect him to be the best on the pitch.”
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