Cardoso Hails Young Guns Letlhaku And Mabena
Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has praised the development of his young players, Kutlwano Letlhaku and Siyabonga Mabena.
The duo has been making waves in the Sundowns setup, with Letlhaku scoring two goals in six league appearances last season and assisting Lebo Mothiba’s goal in the FIFA Club World Cup against Borussia Dortmund.
Mabena, despite being sidelined with injury last season, has shown glimpses of brilliance, scoring a stunning goal in Sundowns’ 4-0 win against Richards Bay in the MTN8 quarterfinal on Sunday.
Cardoso reflected on the players’ progress, saying, “We started to work with these boys last year, and unfortunately for Mabena, he was injured, but Kutlwano was with us.”
The Portuguese mentor also emphasized the club’s holistic approach to developing young talent.
“I think we’ve been developing them in a way that is proper,” he said.
“We were also not developing them about being professional players as they were playing in the academy, but also developing them with other things to try to upgrade them, but taking nothing away from the coaches who worked with them before, they did a great job to develop them.”
As the Betway Premiership kicks off this Saturday, Sundowns will face Chippa United at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Sunday, with Letlhaku and Mabena looking to make an impact.
Cardoso expects big things from his young players, saying, “I think the challenges that they have now are much bigger; we should expect them to show up time to time, but not to carry out the team alone, but just do a great job throughout the season.”
Cardoso also spoke about the upcoming match against Chippa, coached by Sinethemba Badela, who previously coached Sundowns’ DStv Diski Challenge team.
“Everyone knows Mamelodi Sundowns players and we respect the coach (Badela) because he was with the club for years,” the former Espereance coach added.
“I was very pleased to talk with him on Tuesday, but it’s a new chapter in his life and also in my life. I wish he could also have a wonderful career as a head coach.”
