Midfielder Makhehlene Makhaula's Orlando Pirates contract is set to expire in June 2026.

Reports suggest that the former AmaZulu midfielder is yet to be offered a new deal by the Soweto giants.

The 36-year-old joined Pirates in January 2023 and was named the Premier Soccer League Midfielder of the Season last term.

However, an injury suffered in May 2025 has seen him fail to play competitive football so far this season.

His agent, Sizwe Ntshangase, has responded to the question about Makhaula's future at the Buccaneers.

"Look, Makhaula is returning from a long-time injury, and his focus is getting some minutes and doing what he did last season. That's his focus," Ntshangase told KickOff.

"I have not much to say at this moment. What I can say is that he will continue working hard and fight for his place in the squad."

Highlighting that Pirates are rich in depth in central midfield, they are not feeling the absence of the reigning PSL Midfielder of the Season.

The likes of Sihle Nduli, Masindi Nemtajela, Abdoulaye Mariko and Thalente Mbatha are on top of their game while Cemran Dansin is rising through the first team.

For someone who has spent months on the sidelines, that could make Makhaula struggle to reclaim his place in the team when he returns to competitive football.

Nemtajela has even made a breakthrough into the Bafana Bafana squad and is contending to go to the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations finals.

That leaves Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou facing what looks like a positive headache in this position when Makhaula returns.

With the veteran midfielder now 36, the Soweto giants appear to have a long-term replacement for him should he reture in the near future.

Some weeks ago, Pirates thought Makhaula was back from injury after he started participating in full training.

But the midfielder still felt pain, forcing him to tone down in his workouts and Ouaddou explained the regression in the midfielder's recovery process.

“Makhaula is in a good way. He came back, but you know, when you have such a long-term injury, sometimes you come back and after that you still feel pain,” Ouaddou said.

“So with the medical department, sometimes you don’t want to take a risk and lose him for a long time. He came back, he felt pain, and now he is recovering again. I think he is close to coming back to training.

"Now he is running, and I hope he will join us very soon because he is an important player for me," he added.

“I was following him before. I love his character, I love his leadership, and he is definitely someone who can bring something to the team."

After being on the sidelines for a while and considering his age, Makhaula will be hoping he would not be rusty when he returns from injury.

It will be a battle for him to get back on top of his game and become the player who won the Midfielder of the Season last term.

Pirates are left with three games in 2025 and that will be before some of their players report for AFCON camp.

That is the little time Makhaula is left with to taste competitive action before the year ends.

The long AFCON break will give him enough time to further recover as he hopes to be fully recovered in January 2026.