Former Kaizer Chiefs and Cape Town City attacker Lebogang Manyama is being linked with a coaching role just four months after announcing his retirement from playing football.
Manyama, who retired in June this year due to a persistent knee injury, now looks set to start his coaching journey in the DStv Premiership.
The 33-year-old is a highly respected figure in SA football. He took the local football fraternity by shock when he announced his premature retirement.
At the time of the announcement, the former CT City captain had been sidelined for over 15 months due to an injury. He had parted ways with Chiefs at the end of the 2021/22 season. And he looked set to reunite with CT City.
CT City is where Manyama played some of his best football, becoming a recipient of the 2016/17 PSL Footballer of the Year.
The inability to recover from a knee ailment was confirmed as a consequence of a misdiagnosis. This led to a gut-wrenching end to his football playing career, which once took him to Turkish Super Lig side Konyaspor.
WHERE TO NEXT FOR LEBOGANG MANYAMA
Indications are that he will take up a new role as an assistant coach at the Citizens. His appointment, thought to be an assistant coach role, is a sign of his steady reputation in the game.
The Mother City club recently wished him a happy birthday on its social media platforms.
Manyama will work alongside head coach Eric Tinkler, whom he previously played under at CTCity in 2016/17. Tinkler also has Diogo Peral as his assistant.
“He has a wealth of experience and knowledge of the game. He is also a very intelligent and hardworking individual. The club is confident that he will make a significant contribution to our coaching staff,” a club source told FARPost.
Throughout his professional football career spanning 12 seasons, Manyama accumulated an impressive record of 320 appearances. He netted 55 goals and provided 39 assists. He also represented Bafana Bafana several times.
His appointment is a positive sign for Cape Town City. The club is looking to bounce back from a five-match winless streak.
CT City are in 14th place in the league after six games in which they have picked two wins and lost four. The other loss came in the MTN8, where they lost 2-1 to Kaizer Chiefs in the quarterfinals.
RELATED STORY: Lebogang Manyama reveals why he is hanging up his boots
