New Kaizer Chiefs star Lebogang Manyama believes his time in Turkey was a big learning curve after returning to South Africa after less than a year abroad, writes DEAN WORKMAN.
Manyama endured a difficult period with Atiker Konyaspor in Turkey which ended in under a year, with the club and player mutually agreeing to end his contract, opening the door for a move back to South Africa with Kaizer Chiefs.
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Manyama, who won the Absa Premiership Player of the Year while playing for Cape Town City prior to his European move, made his debut for Amakhosi last Saturday against his former team and impressed many as he looks to continue gaining fitness after an extended period without playing abroad.
Manyama, speaking at a Kaizer Chief media day, admitted that his time at Konyaspor was tough but it helped improve him as a player.
‘It was a learning curve, it was tough, but you have to get through those kinds of things in life.
‘Obviously, I’m very grateful for the opportunity and I came out a better man and a better player,’ added the Bafana Bafana star.
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Manyama also highlighted some of the issues he faced in Turkey as the instability at Konyaspor didn’t help his cause.
‘Three coaches in one season, it was never going to be easy, but like I said it was a learning curve.
‘I won’t say I’ve put it behind me but it is something I went through and in every bad situation I like to look at the positives and luckily I think I became a better player.
‘Obviously, the standard there is a bit higher and you get better tactically, better technically and you know where to move on the field, because in SA we know obviously it’s end to end stuff but there its more tactical.
‘You realise a few things [while playing abroad], like football is not about running at 200 kmph at times, sometimes you just have to move one step and you get all the space you need.
‘So, I made sure I tried to learn as much as possible so hopefully, I can bring that back and add value to the team,’ concluded Manyama.
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Photo: Chris Ricco/BackpagePix
