Kaizer Chiefs forward Lebogang Manyama has admitted that at 26 he was too old to move to Konyaspor in Turkey, though he learned valuable lessons.
Manyama joined the Turkish outfit following a stellar 2016/17 campaign with Cape Town City where he ended as the Premiership’s leading scorer, and walked away with the South African Footballer of the Season gong.
Nonetheless, he failed to make the breakthrough with Konyaspor as he made just a handful of appearances before being released as a free agent ahead of 2018/19.
Now 28, the Tembisa-born star was snapped up by Chiefs and made his debut in the recent 4-1 victory over Cape Town City where he bagged an assist.
Speaking to his side’s official website, he said: “Turkey is a very tough environment to play soccer. It’s very tactical and the teams are defensively very compact and difficult to break down.
“I learnt a lot though and have become a better player. I was already 26-year-old when going to Turkey, while most players who succeed in Europe leave at a much younger age. I should probably have gone earlier, but that’s how it is.”
Ahead of Amakhosi’s next PSL clash against AmaZulu on Saturday, the player added: “They have a good coach in Cavin Johnson. They are a running team and are difficult to play against. We will have to fight to get the three points.”
© TEAMtalk Media
