Lucas Ribeiro is irreplaceable – Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso has opened on the signing of Portuguese duo Nuno Santos and Miguel Reisinho, insisting they are meant to replace Brazil star Lucas Ribeiro.

The Brazilian international recently departed Sundowns to join CyD Leonesa in the Spanish second tier following an impressive performance last term.

Ribeiro racked up 21 goals for Sundowns and delivered 14 assists last season, as the club secured the South African Premier League title.

Following the departure of Ribeiro, Sundowns have swiftly captured two Portuguese international to bolster their squad, but Cardoso says they are in to replace the Brazilian.

“No player will replace Lucas because that’s not what we are looking for but we want to reinforce the team and every player has their own characteristics,” Cardoso told the media. “Neither Nuno and Miguel Reisinho have the characteristics that Lucas had.

“Mamelodi Sundowns will develop to be a different team collectively than it was in the past. Lucas was a player that could solve problems alone and these kinds of games like today, he would have helped a lot,” the Portuguese coach concluded.