Prominent football agent Mike Makaab has given Mamelodi Sundowns an ultimatum on the contract of one of his clients at the club.
Makaab has not had it easy with the newly crowned DStv Premiership champions in recent weeks.
His client Andile Jali has had issues with the club and looks set to leave. His other client Manqoba Mngqithi is also out of contract at the end of the season.
The veteran mentor has been the subject of transfer speculation, with AmaZulu president Sandile Zungu expressing interest in bringing him to Durban.
Mngqithi was demoted to the position of senior coach, with Rulani Mokwena elevated to head coach.
The two had previously shared the co-coaching responsibilities and won two league titles under that setup.
However, in October 2022, the set-up was abolished as the 35-year-old Mokwena was elevated.
Makaab is aware of the speculation around the 51-year-old coach and has since reacted to it.
“There have been so many stories about clubs engaging with us regarding his services,” Makaab said on Gagasi FM.
“I think what’s absolutely important to understand is that these things [speculations] are going to come to the surface purely because he’s a highly-talented football coach. He’s very experienced and very knowledgeable.
“Also, he played such a pivotal role in Mamelodi Sundowns‘ success over the years. So there’s a lot of speculations regarding his future, particularly since Rulani Mokwena has been appointed as the head coach and the co-coaching system has been abolished.
“The truth is Manqoba is completely committed to Sundowns. He’s a true professional. He works as hard as he has been working in the past.
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“Mamelodi Sundowns have the option to renew his contract, and that option is only renewable in May.
“So by the end of May, they’ve got to make that decision. We’ve started discussions with Sundowns about Manqoba’s future, and to be honest, his entire focus is on Sundowns,” he added.
Mngqithi has previously been at AmaZulu, and he likely will likely rejoin them.
Zungu demoted Romain Folz after a string of poor results. Ayanda Dlamini is currently acting until the end of the season, after which they will appoint a new head coach.
The AmaZulu boss has clarified that Mngqithi is a coach he fancies and would be happy to bring him on board.