New season

In club coach Stanley Menzo, Lebusa has found a mentor who seems tough on the outside, but is compassionate and helpful on the inside – a trait which the 24-yearold highly appreciates in the experienced Dutchman. “He is very strict – when he came here he raised the bar very high, discipline-wise,” Lebusa says. “But when you sit down and talk to him, he is very understanding and you can talk to him about anything. He encourages everyone at training, and wants nothing but the best for the players.” Now in his sixth season with the Urban Warriors, Lebusa has witnessed, year-on-year, the club letting go of many a star player in line with the club’s business model, and promotion of talented youth. Lebusa has seen the likes of teammates Granwald Scott, Abbubaker Mobara, Riyaad Norodien and most recently Rivaldo Coetzee head to Gauteng, and admits losing the club’s best products is never easy to deal with, but understands it’s the nature of the game. “Sometimes we do feel like the best players are being taken away around us, but it’s every player’s dream to win titles,” he says. “So when that happens, there is nothing you can do about it. We are just players and if the team wants to sell someone, there’s nothing you can do about it. We just have to then welcome the next player that arrives, and make them feel at home. “It does play on your mind though … obviously you want to win a championship as a player. Other teams do whatever it takes to challenge for it – they have bigger budgets, and that’s the advantage – and there’s nothing you can do about it.” Despite this, Lebusa firmly believes the club always finds a way to make the best of their situation, as he sets his targets for what he hopes will be a successful debut season as captain. “Ajax always finds a way … we’ve lost so many good players in the past, but there’s always a way, and always great talent coming up,” he says. “We do feel it’s a bit of a setback when we lose a key player, but the team always finds a way and covers that. “To finish in the top eight, and win a trophy – that would be a good season for this team. We’ve been in the league since 1999, so it’s only fair if the team always aims to finish in the top eight. I know it’s not hard, but it’s only fair.”