Mngqithi unhappy with 'emotional' Ribeiro despite his Mamelodi Sundowns' goals - 'It’s a big concern for us'

The South American has been an integral part of the team since joining at the beginning of the 2023/24 season but Mamelodi Sundowns coach Manqoba Mngqithi insists Lucas Ribeiro has to work on his attitude on the pitch.

The 26-year-old was on target as Masandawana claimed a 3-0 win over Cape Town City on Wednesday night in the PSL fixture staged at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria.

It was his sixth strike in 10 matches across all competitions; the attacker has also provided three assists in the process.

However, the player's discipline has been wanting. He missed the 1-0 loss against Polokwane City after accumulating four yellow cards in domestic assignments.

Upon his return on Wednesday, Ribeiro finished the game with a booking, something that has not gone down well with Mngqithi.

"Starting with Lucas, it’s a big concern for all of us that he somehow finds a way to get a booking even when it was difficult for him to get a booking because the tackle that he made just on the line was very unnecessary," the 53-year-old stated.

"Sometimes you must know when you work with South Americans that they think differently, they give everything to the game which sometimes exposes them to such cautions.

"We are concerned. Personally, I had three or four one-on-one with him, and I really want him to understand. I think he has improved in some instances because he was very emotional before, but I think he’s improving now.

"I’m seeing a lot of progress, but I think there’s still a lot of work to do; even other members of the club are trying to assist players like Lucas," Mngqithi concluded.

Ribeiro is expected to play a crucial role on Saturday as Sundowns take on Kaizer Chiefs in the Carling Knockout quarter-final outing.

In the recent PSL meeting between the sides, Ribeiro was on the scoresheet and provided an assist as Masandawana controversially won 2-1 to break the hearts of the Amakhosi faithful.

Nabi and his squad are aiming at avenging the loss this weekend.