Why Sundowns’ Cardoso still wants more from in-form Adams

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso is expecting more from star midfielder Jayden Adams, who is in red-hot form for both club and country at the moment.

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The 23-year-old scored the only goal of the match in the 1-0 win over Sekhukhune United last Friday, helping the Brazilians secure a place in the semifinals of the Nedbank Cup.

The classy midfielder carried his Bafana Bafana form into domestic football after finding the back of the net twice in wins over Lesotho and Benin during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Sundowns’ Cardoso – ‘He’s doing pretty well’

“It’s the speed of the game that indeed creates problems for the opponents, and Jayden is a player who can increase the speed of the game, and he’s been doing pretty well,” Cardoso said about Adams, who was a high-profile arrival from Stellenbosch FC in the January transfer window.

“Most of you heard me speak about Jayden when he arrived at Sundowns, where I said he would have to raise his intensity level and prove himself to play at Sundowns. He has imposed himself naturally, but we have more players to substitute him, so he shouldn’t be that comfortable.

“But he’s giving us good answers, so he’s a player we trust. He’s a good boy, but I think he can raise his level even more because he’s still young. He has arrived at a club where the standards and demands are higher. There’s still an adaptation period because he arrived in January. I’m happy with what he has done at the national team level and what he’s doing (at Sundowns), so let’s hope he can continue this good run.”

‘Not ideal’

With the CAF Champions League quarter-final first leg match against Esperance scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, Sundowns would have hoped to wrap up the Sekhukhune game in regulation time, but the cup tie went into extra time, where Adams’ solitary strike settled it.

“The club deserves some consideration from those in charge. In the future, they should provide better conditions so that South Africa can compete in the best possible environment,” said Cardoso.

“Everyone will celebrate if one team can win the Champions League because it represents the football of the country abroad. The conditions for us to succeed, despite my 100% belief that we will, are not ideal.

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“We will have to manage the preparations in a different way, and we’ll go back to the 20 minutes I’ve spoken about. We have 120 minutes on the legs of some players, and other players will not be able to train but will focus only on recovery.”