Miguel Cardoso sheds light on Thabang Matuludi signing

Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso has explained the factors behind the signing of defender Thabang Matuludi from fellow Betway Premiership side Polokwane City.

The 27-year-old right-back had been the subject of a tug of war between Orlando Pirates and the Brazilians, with the latter ultimately winning the highly contested race for his signature.

He put pen to paper on a three-year deal that will keep him at Chloorkop until June 2029, and will be eager to swiftly command a place in the starting XI amid a long-term injury sustained by Khuliso Mudau.

With the African champions now boasting a plethora of options at right-back following the arrival of Matuludi, alongside former Pirates full-back Deano Van Rooyen, Cardoso says the acquisitions are to counter the fixture congestion.

“Players that come to help the team. A team that plays so much obviously needs a deep squad so that we can come to contexts like the one we played today [vs Chippa United] and change players and play in three days as we played two last matches in three days,” said the Downs mentor.

"We have to change seven, eight, six players so that we can still have some freshness because obviously not all the biggest teams are in the conditions that are similar - the ones competing internationally of course.

"But the other ones we play against are not, for example, Chippa was resting all the weekend, we came here to play. So, if we could not bring freshness into the pitch, in a pitch with this condition where obviously the level of fatigue increases a lot, we could not survive - so we need to give answers to the conditions where we compete.

Sundowns, meanwhile, return to action with the highly-anticipated FIFA Intercontinental Cup where they are set to lock horns with Asian champions Al Ahli SC of Saudi Arabia at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Saturday, 19 September.

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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