Sales scores Arthur Sales celebrates with teammates after scoring his first Mamelodi Sundowns goal during their Betway Premiership win over Sekhukhune United at Loftus Versfeld. Photo: Sundowns on X
Image: Sundowns on X
Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Manqoba Mngqithi has urged the club's fans to be patient with Brazilian forward Arthu Sales, who has been slow out of the blocks since joining the Betway Premiership champions.
Sales, who joined Sundowns for a record R63 million, broke his duck when he scored the club's second goal in last week's 3-0 win over Sekhukhune United. However, he has not featured regularly in the league for the champions.
Mngqithi felt the Brazilian needed to be given time to adapt to South African football.
"I think we will be very unfair if we want to judge a player like that, because sometimes the player, the adaptation process takes longer than you anticipate," the Sundowns boss said when speaking to Metro FM Sports.
"And it differs from player to player, from league to league, from country to country. That's why certain players adapt very quickly and play immediately, If you look at the South Americans we've had, maybe it would be Gaston [Sirino], Lucas [Ribeiro] and Marcelo [Allende] that hit the road running...
"But most of the players have taken a little bit longer to adapt because the speed of the PSL is unbearable to most players and I wouldn't want us to judge so early," said Mngqithi.
"Because what I've seen already is that the player is capable, but unfortunately we're looking for goals. When you don't find goals, you think the player is nit performing well."
In 11 games in all competitions this season, Sales has scored just one goals, and has two assists to his name, and has played mainly off the bench.
IOL Sport