Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso says Lucas Ribeiro Costa is growing game by game and can still reach ‘higher levels’ in the future.
Costa produced a Man of the Match display with two goals and an assist in the 4-1 win over title rivals Orlando Pirates, which moved them nine points clear at the summit.
He’s been in scintillating form in the league with four goals and four assists in his last five league outings.
“I think Lucas can reach higher levels in the future because the Lucas we see now, he’s much more committed with the defensive process, and that also bring something from him,” he said.
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“Lucas made a goal from position nine and when we decided to swap the positions between Peter [Shalulile], Iqraam [Rayners] and himself.
“So, as you saw Iqraam was playing with Peter in front in the beginning but then we changed to put Iqraam on the left, Peter on the right and Lucas as the nine.
“We wanted to provide different challenges for the defenders of Pirates and he scored from that, he understood what to do in the position, so he’s growing as a player.”
Costa has now scored 12 goals with 10 assists in 27 games across all competitions in the 2024/25 season.
