Tinkler brings in Manyama as assistant coach at City

Cape Town City have appointed their former player Lebo Manyama as an assistant coach to Eric Tinkler.

City announced on Tuesday that the ex-City and Kaizer Chiefs attacking midfielder would join their coaching staff.

At the end of June, Manyama announced his retirement from playing football due to injuries at the age of just 33.

He rejoined City after being released by Chiefs at the end of the 2021/22 season, but didn’t play in the entire campaign.

Manyama posted on social media that a misdiagnosis of an anterior cruciate ligament tear had been the final straw.

Tembisa-born Manyama started his career at Ajax Cape Town (now Cape Town Spurs), making his professional debut in 2010 at the age of just 19.

He left Cape Town in 2013 and spent two seasons at SuperSport United, and another on loan at MP Black Aces, but his most successful campaign was without doubt at City in the 2016/17 Premier Soccer League season.

Manyama helped City capture the Telkom Knockout, won the DStv Premiership Golden Boot, bagging 13 top flight goals, and was named Footballer of the Season.

Interestingly, Tinkler was also The Citizens head coach in that 2016/17 campaign.

After leaving City as a player, Manyama had a brief spell in Turkey before joining Kaizer Chiefs in 2018.

He helped Amakhosi finish second in the league in the 2019/20 season under Ernst Middendorp, as they missed out on the title to Mamelodi Sundowns on the final day of the campaign.

He was also a rare bright sport for Chiefs in the following season, scoring eight times, his last ever goals for Chiefs coming in the form of a hat-trick against Golden Arrows on June 2, 2021, just after Gavin Hunt had been sacked.

Manyama’s following season was blighted by injury, and his last appearance for Chiefs came in a 2-1 Soweto Derby DStv Premiership win over Orlando Pirates on March 5, 2022.