Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has praised the recent progress of star player Lucas Ribeiro Costa.
The 26-year-old scored twice in Sundowns' impressive 4-1 victory over Orlando Pirates on Saturday, earning him the Man of the Match award.
Cardoso highlighted Ribeiro's improved defensive contributions, in addition to his already potent offensive skills.
‘HE’S MUCH MORE COMMITTED WITH DEFENSIVE PROCESS’
“I think Lucas can reach higher levels in the future because the Lucas we see now, he’s much more committed with the defensive process, and that also bring something from him,” he said.
“Lucas made a goal from position nine and when we decided to swap the positions between Peter [Shalulile], Iqraam [Rayners] and himself.
“So, as you saw Iqraam was playing with Peter in front in the beginning but then we changed to put Iqraam on the left, Peter on the right and Lucas as the nine.
“We wanted to provide different challenges for the defenders of Pirates and he scored from that, he understood what to do in the position, so he’s growing as a player.”
Ribeiro has scored 12 goals and registered 10 assists in 27 appearances across all competitions
