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Oupa happy to stay at Pirates

Johannesburg - Following recent speculation linking Orlando Pirates midfielder Oupa Manyisa with a possible move to Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Ahly of Egypt, Bucs’ Public Relations Officer (PRO) Mickey Modisane said the 25-year-old playmaker is enjoying his stay at the Soweto giants.

The Egyptian giants saw Manyisa’s potential in the 2013 CAF Champions League tournament when he guided Pirates to the final, which they lost 3-1 on aggregate to the Egyptian side.

Al Ahly then made a R29m bid for the player which Manyisa and Pirates turned down towards the end of last season.

Sundowns, the reigning ABSA Premiership champions, were also rumoured to have been chasing the signature of the Bafana Bafana star last week.

Manyisa’s current contract with the Happy People is set to elapse at the end of the 2014/15 season and the club is yet to offer him a new deal which might have tempted the Brazilians to recruit him to Chloorkop.

But Modisane told Sport24 in an exclusive interview on Thursday that Manyisa will remain a Pirate in the new season and in future.

He also hinted that the player must be allowed time to enjoy the individual accolades he won on Thursday instead of being unsettled by speculation.

“Right now Oupa Manyisa is part and parcel of Orlando Pirates football club,” said Modisane.

“(The) same goes for the rest of our players. At the moment our main focus is on the Carling Black Label cup and the MTN8. Oupa is happy at Pirates. And we are also happy that he was voted as our Player of the Season last night.

“So, let the player enjoy his accolades without any rumours spreading about his movement. That could unsettle him. Oupa Manyisa is still our player and he will remain part and parcel of Orlando Pirates Football Club."

“Ace” walked away with three individual accolades at the Sea Robbers’ awards ceremony held at the Wanderers club in Johannesburg.

He was voted as the club’s Player of the Season, Players Player of the Season and also shared the Chairman’s Award with goalkeeper, Senzo Meyiwa, taking home a sum of R200 000.

The Mohlakeng-born player was also voted by the club's supporters to start with the match against their perennial rivals Kaizer Chiefs in the fourth edition of the Carling Black Label Cup at the FNB Stadium on Saturday.

The match will kick-off at 15:30.
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