With Lucas Ribeiro Costa linked with a move away from Mamelodi Sundowns, legend Manqoba Ngwenya has suggested a replacement if the Brazilian leaves.
There were doubts on the quality of Costa before he could settle at Sundowns, after he was signed from second division club in Belgium, SK Beveren in July 2023.
The Brazilian, however, has established himself as one of the most important players at Masandawana.
READ: Foreign Buyers Make Strong Case For Royal AM
The 26-year-old scored 16 goals and had nine assists in his debut campaign under former coach Rulani Mokwena.
Costa has taken his level a bit higher in the current term, as he has already scored 16 goals and has 11 assists, with seven games remaining in the league while Sundowns are still in the CAF Champions quarter-finals and Nedbank Cup last 16.
It is no wonder that the left-footed attack has attracted interest that want to take him back to Europe, with Burnley and Lille the latest clubs that are reported to have enquired about his services, as reported by the Siya crew.
Should the Brazilian leave Chloorkop, Ngwenya has suggested that there's only one South African player that can fill his shoes, otherwise Masandawana would need to look for his replacement overseas.
"Well in South African football at the moment I'm not sure if there's somebody who can fill the shoes of Ribeiro right now," Ngwenya said SoccerBeat YouTube Channel.
READ: Rulani's Title Race Over As Lorch Bags First Goal
"He's definitely the hottest property at the moment you know. One I can think of he did damage to us (over the) weekend, is (Relebohile) Mofokeng (of Orlando Pirates), he can fill those shoes.
"But obviously I doubt he's for sale. So Sundowns would at least have the budget to say they can go in the market and actually look for a quality player like him. Attract interest from Europe to the PSL, because they could also see that a player from South Africa can go to the big leagues, via Sundowns and actually make it in the big leagues," 'Shakes' added.
Pirates recently rejected an official offer from Zamalek for the services of Mofokeng.
