Mbele: Oupa was never leaving

Cape Town - Orlando Pirates administrative manager Floyd Mbele says Oupa Manyisa never had any intention of leaving the club, despite the considerable speculation to the contrary. 

Read: Sundowns reject R32m Manyisa claims

Pirates have played 17 matches this season and Manyisa has started in every one of them. Significantly, he has also scored in three of them, entrenching his status as one of the critical cogs in the Buccaneers' machine.

Mbele said that there was never any doubt about Manyisa’s future, suggesting that the midfielder’s agent was primarily to blame for the speculative reporting in the local football media.

“Manyisa joining Sundowns? No, the player was never close to joining them, we only read about that in the media," Mbele told goal.com.

"We never confirmed anything regarding a possible move for the player.

“The agent was the one, who made those comments on the media.

“So, one cannot say we managed to retain the services of the player because there was never a possibility of him leaving.

“That's all I can say about Oupa."