Katlego Modiba

'I'm the type of a person that believes as a team, we should always fight to win the next match,' Mngqithi said.

The promising start at the beginning of the season shouldn't have come as a surprise because players always get a lift when a new coach comes in.

“We obviously didn't play well against them in Polokwane and we didn't even have a shot on target so we are ready and we will do better this time around,” Aubaas said.

“We've always believed that we can get a little bit more from him and I'm just excited to see him performing the way that he does," Mngqithi said.

The 18-year-old striker grabbed all the headlines on a night where Sundowns were not at their best, but did enough to bag all three points.

'If an opportunity were to present itself, it would be great because I think that I could adapt and assist the national team,' Ribeiro said.

“Individually, I would say it's very difficult but the coaches made it very clear that we have a very big squad and we have a lot of competitions to play,” Maema said.

Ribeiro's goal came after Lebogang Mabotja gave away a penalty five minutes after the break.

"Since we played Stellenbosch FC in the league match and then the cup match, we started having a different approach in terms of our coaching and the player's response,” Malesela said.

Getting rid of a big figure like Van Nistelrooy might just be the tonic that's needed to nurse United back to good health.