Hearts could be broken at Kaizer Chiefs after Maritzburg United decision

 Maritzburg United have put the “Not for Sale” signs up on hot property Zimbabwean striker Evans Rusike for the coming season‚ which could break the hearts of Kaizer Chiefs fans.

United chairman Farook Kadodia on Thursday said there has been plenty of interest in Rusike‚ but that the club will not consider selling the striker until the end of next season. Kadodia said the club has also received interest in their SA Under-23 international winger Deolin Mekoa.
Rusike’s eight league goals in the second half of the past season saw him become among the PSL’s most desired signings‚ with his performances key to Maritzburg pulling off a near miracle surviving relegation from an almost impossible position in December.
“There has been a lot of interest in the Evans Rusike both locally and internationally‚” Kadodia said.
“At the moment the board has decided that we need him to be here for at least another season.
“In that time we can build the team stronger. So at the moment he’s not for sale.”
Rusike initially struggled after signing from Hwangwe FC in Zimbabwe in June 2015 with just a solitary goal last year.
He found his form when Ernst Middendorp arrived as coach in December‚ scoring eight goals in 18 games in 2016‚ including the brace in Maritzburg’s final game against Jomo Cosmos where they dramatically recovered from a goal down to win 3-1 and escape the axe.
Chiefs supporters on social media platforms have been baying for the club to sign Rusike in the wake of a 20-player clear-out at the club‚ and with Amakhosi having limped to a trophy-less season and fifth place in the PSL in 2015-16 thanks largely to a lack of a proven‚ goal-scoring striker.
Kadodia did admit there was no such thing as an offer Maritzburg could not refuse.
“But look‚ I’ll be honest with you‚ it has to be a really big offer‚” the United chairman said.
“We believe that in the past six months Rusike has shown a lot‚ but has great potential‚ and that there is a lot more to come from him.
“As for Deolin Mekoa‚ he is too young to sell now.”
Maritzburg tied up a new two-year contract with Middendorp in the last few days of May.
“We know him well. We want to build on the football he produced at Maritzburg at the end of 2015-16‚ and the crowds he brought in – we had record crowds at the end of last season‚” Kadodia said.
The United chairman said a number of his club’s players were being approached by clubs at the end of last season‚ when it looked like United were certainties to be relegated‚ but interest had cooled since their survival.
“When we were fighting relegation we had about seven or eight players that were being approached by clubs. I thought that was part of the problem with us struggling at the time‚” he said.
Maritzburg finished in third-last place in the PSL‚ sending Cosmos to last place and outright relegation‚ while second-last Pretoria University were left to fight the on-going promotion-relegation playoffs.

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