MARITZBURG UNITED coach Eric Tinkler has tipped Kaizer Chiefs star forward Lebogang Manyama to scoop this season’s PSL Footballer of the Season gong.
The former Orlando Pirates coach said Manyama is excelling because he’s playing in a slightly different role to when he coached him at Cape Town City in the 2016/17 season.
At City, Manyama was the captain and had a lot more responsibilities on his shoulders, but at Chiefs he has been given more freedom to play a more advanced role than when he played in Cape Town.
The 29-year-old, who missed just one league match this season before the PSL season was suspended due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, has scored six league goals in 21 appearances.
This has helped propel the Soweto giants to the summit of the Absa Premiership table.
Coach Ernst Middendorp’s side are on 48 points from 22 matches, four points ahead of reigning champions and second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns, who have a game in hand.
“Manyama has done very well at Chiefs, he has had a good season,” said Tinkler, whose side Maritzburg beat Chiefs twice in three league and cup matches this season.
“The role that he plays at Chiefs is slightly different to the role he played under me.
“He played a far more important role under me because he was the captain and he had to assume a lot of responsibility, which he did very well, whereas right now at Chiefs he doesn’t assume that responsibility. The role that Middendorp has given him suits him.
“Despite so much pressure on shoulders at City, Manyama was unfazed,” he said.He claimed the same coveted PSL award and also took home the PSL Golden Boot after netting 13 league goals.
That didn’t go unnoticed. After three games the following season under Tinkler’s successor - Benni McCarthy at City-Manyama was signed by Turkish side Konyaspor for close to R16 million.
However, things didn’t work out for him in Turkey. Manyama just scored two goals in 10 appearances in all competitions in one season before his contract was terminated. He returned to Mzansi to join Chiefs last season.
