‘Let me make it clear, Lebo Mothiba will not help the team because he’s not in (a good) condition. He comes from a long period of injury, so we should not even think about him helping the team,’ said the Sundowns head coach.
Despite Mamelodi Sundowns beating other Betway Premiership rivals to Jayden Adams’ signature, the midfielder has his work cut out if he’s to break into the star-studded team at Chloorkop.
The 23-year-old, who joined the Brazilians last week, made a name for himself at Stellenbosch FC before breaking into the Bafana Bafana team. Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has made it clear that Adams will have to prove his worth in order to break into the team after his arrival from Stellies.
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Sundowns coach Cardoso – ‘We won’t give gifts to anyone’
“Regarding the market, let me be straight and clear because it’s normal for the club to see if there are opportunities in the market that can make us stronger, but we believe in our players,” Cardoso said.
“Any player that joins this group has to prove himself, whether it’s Jayden or anyone else. We won’t give gifts to anyone; they’ll have to arrive and show that they are better than our players, and then we will see.
“That comes from work on a daily basis, so Jayden and anyone who comes to the group will have to prove themselves. I had a chance to write to him, and we expect that he dreams big and works hard. If that happens, then everybody will help us, for sure.”
Another high-profile name linked with a move to Sundowns is Lebo Mothiba. The 28-year-old is currently unattached after parting ways with French club Strasbourg FC last year, where he spent six seasons.’
‘Let’s see what will happen’
“Let me make it clear, Lebo Mothiba will not help the team because he’s not in (a good) condition. He comes from a long period of injury, so we should not even think about him helping the team at the moment,” Cardoso replied when asked to give an update on Mothiba’s potential signing.
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“He’s working with us, but it’s a medium to long-term plan for him. He spent one year without playing, he’s had a major surgery and he’s still recovering. There are still many questions regarding the process. He’s a wonderful person and a wonderful player, but we can’t put any pressure on him, so let’s see what will happen with him.”
