Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has reserved special praise for striker Arthur Sales for his recent rich vein of fine form, with the Brazilian having provided three assists in three consecutive Betway Premiership matches.

The 22-year-old forward had a slow start to life in the South African top flight after joining the Tshwane giants from Belgian outfit Lommel SK for a reported fee in the region of € 3.20 million (R 65 million), making him the most expensive player in the PSL.

However, the Downs mentor attributes Sales’ early struggles to Masandawana, boasting a plethora of quality players in their star-studded squad. While he acknowledges the big squad at his disposal, the 52-year-old mentor says all the players at Sundowns are equal.

“We are a club that has a squad that has numbers, has many players and sometimes the fact that one player is not performing has to do with the fact that there is some other player that is performing on a high level and it’s a little bit shadow on the other ones,” Cardoso noted.

“We say inside our locker room as coaches, there is a thin line at Sundowns between being very important and becoming a player that you are not used to being so much, because the balance in quality is so big, there is a lot of quality.

“So, there is no big players and small players – there aren’t. That is why I always tell you [media] that I feel comfortable changing players because the answer they give is exactly according to the quality that they have.” 

With significant impact from the bench, Sales played himself back into the starting XI as he got the nod to start in the last three league outings, where he continues to excel as a starter, much to the delight of Cardoso, who is elated with the striker’s goal contribution of late.

“Sales was a little bit on the shadow, but if you remember, before he started playing in the last matches, every time he went inside the pitch, he also gave things. He scored; he gave assists, ” added the Portuguese tactician.

“So, he helped to change the matches, and it was very comfortable to have him on the bench because I knew that I had a player when he was entering the pitch, he was always giving something. And maybe I was a little bit jealous myself for not lining him up in the first XI.

“But by having him on the bench, I was sure I would have a player who would explode and bring things on the pitch when I was going to put him inside. But well, I gave him an opportunity, and he took it with both hands. He is indeed doing well; he is doing very well.”

He continued: “I’m very happy, I’m very happy for him, but I’m very happy because his performance is affecting the team positively as well. So, there is a relation between everybody’s work or individual work with the collective output or outcome that we have together.”

Overall, Sales has scored six goals and reached double figures in assists as he set up 10 goals in 34 appearances across all competitions. The South American will be keen to add to his tally when Sundowns welcome Stellenbosch FC to the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Sunday.