Mamelodi Sundowns‘ Lesiba Nku is yet to truly show his quality. Despite that, his coach Rulani Mokwena recently sent warnings to opposition defenders.
MAMELODI SUNDOWNS: MOKWENA RATES NKU
The 27-year-old joined Sundowns from Rise and Shine in July 2023. Since then, he has managed three goals and one assist in 26 games. Speaking to the media about Nku, Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena said Nku has indeed been very impressive but should be patient and a similar thing happened with Luka Modric at Real Madrid.
“It’s something we’ve been speaking about. And it was actually started by Mabena because when we brought Mabena, he was the only one that could impact the game from the bench,” Mokwena said via Times LIVE.
“And then it became a topic to say ‘guys, if the young one can do it, well, what more…’ And now Lesiba Nku in two games in a row has done exceptionally well,” the Sundowns mentor added.
“You know, there was a moment when Jose Mourinho was coaching Real Madrid, and he asked them, the Madrid fans, to be patient with Luca Modric. Luca Modric went on to become probably one of the best players in the history of Real Madrid.
“And I’m going to do something very similar. I’m going to ask the Sundowns supporters to be a little bit more patient with Lesiba Nku. He is very, very special. He just needs time.
“If he adapts and he takes [off], they must be a little bit more patient. They will see why we signed him,”
“For a big club the player with those types of qualities is an asset. And there’s just an adaptation to take place because part of his development, education and career is a little bit of trauma,”
“You must understand, you are playing for a team that is fighting relegation and gets relegated and you are a key player. So of course there is a sense of accountability, and psychologically you’ve got to overcome that before you have to adapt to playing for a big team,” the Sundowns tactician concluded.
LESIBA NKU RESPONDS
“I’m happy that the coach believes in me,” the Kabo Yellow star Nku told IDiski Times.
“And I believe in myself too to do more and to give more to the team. It’s not easy, it’s not easy at all but when you give it your best, I think the best of Lesiba is yet to come.
“When you play for big teams like I said you need to score goals and perform in each and every game. The performance says it all, the goals are still coming,” the Sundowns attacker concluded.
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