Miguel Cardoso cautions against Siyanda Ndlovu hype

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has cautioned against the hype surrounding newly signed attacker Siyanda Ndlovu, who was already caught the eye in Downs colours.

The 23-year-old winger joined the African champions in a high-profile move from Golden Arrows after his proposed move to Orlando Pirates fell through at the eleventh hour.

While Ndlovu has already shown glimpses of his attacking flair, Cardoso insists the player is not a finished article, and says he's still gaining understanding of the team's tactical framework and match sharpness.

“Our job as coaches is to obviously create conditions for the players to be consistent. Siyanda is a player that has already played many PSL matches. I remember also last year there was a lot of excitement around Mabena and we even aligned him in several matches in the beginning of the season,” said the Sundowns boss.

"But then it was a little bit of lack of consistency from him. And we had to go for another round, we will still promote him in the future for sure but we had to make another step. The level of readiness of a player obviously speaks a lot about how many chances he will continue to have.

"I think it was obviously very important that Sundowns could get Siyanda for the group. He's a player that we have a lot of expectations in, I think I was already very clear in the moment I spoke about how was the pre-season for him. He got injured after one week and a few days more of training sessions.

"And he didn't train until one week before the first match that he played against Chiefs. So, his match readiness is still developing, his understanding of the team is still developing. Of course, offensively he's that magic that everybody sees, but for example, defensively he has a lot of inconsistencies and a lot of things to develop.

The Portuguese tactician expressed delight at having a player of Ndlovu's calibre at his disposal, noting how he can unlock a defensive low block, but warned against hyping the player, which could hinder his development.

“But we are also excited about him like everybody else. We want to get that energy and take profit from it as much as possible, but we know that to develop a player for long-term for both Sundowns and the country, we need to work a lot on him and he is willing to do it because he is very excited to be with us, so we are very happy,” Cardoso added.

"Obviously, we have a lot of competition in those positions but he's a player that has creativity that can sometimes help the coaches to de-block the teams that are narrow, tight, and closing spaces and in the moment the team gets tired or to create tiredness on the teams.

"Those players are very important because you cannot obviously lose one centimetre on him because in short spaces he's very unpredictable. So, happy from our side, but as a young player that he is, we also need to create a proper emotional and psychological environment, and it's important that you the media and also the fans understand how to relate with these players.

Sundowns, meanwhile, return to action with the first-leg of their MTN8 semi-final clash against Arrows at the Lucas Moripe Stadium on Sunday afternoon, where Ndlovu will reunite with Abafana Bes'thende.

Hlayisani Magoro

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Football journalist from South Africa covering African football news, exclusive stories and key events while sharing insights with passionate fans of the game.

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