WATCH | Cardoso regrets Sundown's delay in resolving Ribeiro, Mudau's futures

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso says he would have loved the club to have resolved the future of key players Lucas Ribeiro Costa and Khuliso Mudau earlier to avoid any distractions.

The two players have not featured for Sundowns in their two opening matches of the Betway Premiership against Chippa United and AmaZulu with the reported exit at club imminent.

Speaking after his side's 2-0 win over AmaZulu at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Tuesday, Cardoso said the earlier the club finalised the squad, the better to enable them to build a strong team.

“Of course I would like it to be done as quickly as possible and I would have loved to have handled it before the season started, but it is not like that because things happened after,” Cardoso told the media after the match.

As I said, the club is very professional and also  capable to solve the issues that we have in our hands.

—  Miguel Cardoso, Mamelodi Sundowns coach 

“So, we are just dealing with the situation in the best way. As I said, the club is very professional and also capable to solve the issues that we have in our hands. We know very well where we want to go. I just need to keep working with the team and I will always give my best with whoever players I have.

“The players that are in the locker room will always fight for the shirt, that's what we are going to do. I believe that is the correct way to handle it. Of course, in a club like Sundowns that exposes the players to the highest level of international football in the club World Cup and did well, it's normal that there will be those things.

“But we cannot also allow those things to happen the way that they should not.”

After getting their league campaign on track with a 2-0 win over Usuthu secured by goals from Iqraam Rayners and Tashreeq Matthews, Cardoso says there won't be any team in the league that will come close to them again.

“Expectations are that as soon as everything in the market finishes and see the squad that we will have for the entire season the process of development of the team will happen,” he said.

“I'm sure at the moment I don't believe that one single team in the league will be on the level that we will achieve in three months, not even one. We need to achieve results until the moment where we want to be.

“Winning matches will allow us first to pick confidence, second let the team grow over victories.”

Sundowns next match is against struggling Orlando Pirates in the MTN8 semi final first leg at Orlando Stadium on Saturday.

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