Innocent Maela addresses his Orlando Pirates future amid lack of game time plus emergence of Mbekezeli Mbokazi and Thabiso Sesane - 'You have to allow succession to happen'

Orlando Pirates captain Innocent Maela's contract is set to expire at the end of June, and the defender is said to have been offered a non-playing role by the club.

This comes after as season he has been struggling for game time after featuring in three Premier Soccer League matches as well as seven Cup games.

With his future at Pirates seemingly uncertain, Maela has commented on what could happen to him.

“In life like anything else you have to allow succession to happen, we all know you can’t play the game forever, right, so if you have an opportunity and God has blessed you for a position where you can influence the next generation then you have to take it with both hands,” Maela said, as per iDiksi Times.

“But you also have to have the grace within yourself to accept it because it’s easier or nice to have grace when things are happening for you, it’s very difficult to express the same grace when things are not happening, so I think for me personally, I have that grace within myself and I think God and those who groomed me – to be in this position right now. 

“It’s a privilege to influence people that are coming after me, you can’t play the game forever, and I think I have done extremely well for myself, the club, but we will see what happens, the season is not done yet," the former Thanda Royal Zulu star added.

"When the time is right, the club will give out a statement, I will give out a statement, and we’ll take it from there.”

The emergence of Thabiso Sesane and Mbekezeli Mbokazi has seen Maela being shut out as he struggled for game time, even when Olisa Ndah has been injured.

Coach Jose Riveiro, who appeared to have lost trust in Maela, is on his way out of Pirates.

It remains to be seen if his successor will have faith in the Buccaneers skipper, or the defender will be forced to leave the club.

With June approaching, the Buccaneers are working on contracts that are about to expire.

That leaves fans keen to see what will happen to the club captain when his deal runs out.