A fortnight after being linked with a return to the NRL, Joseph Manu is set to depart his current club in Japan at the end of the season and will reportedly ink a contract with a new team.
A mainstay of the Sydney Roosters and New Zealand Kiwis line-up over the past nine seasons, the two-time premiership winner decided to exit the 13-man code after 181 appearances and 17 international Tests.
Linking up with Toyota Verblitz in the Japanese rugby union competition, where he has spent this year playing, he will now depart the club at the end of the season, per News Corp.
Instead of returning to the NRL with the Sydney Roosters, he is set to ink a one-year contract with Racing Metro in the Top 14 competition in France.
This comes after it was revealed that the 2023 Golden Boot winner had an option in his deal to allow him to remain in Japan for an extra season, but reports indicate that he has decided not to take up the option.
Last year, former NRL Great and Immortal Andrew Johns believed that Manu would not return to the NRL game after taking a similar route to that of Sonny Bill Williams.
"I don't think he will (comeback)," Johns said on Immortal Behaviour last year.
"I'd imagine that the All Blacks would be watching this really closely. He has a similar skillset to Sonny when Sonny Bill changed over (to rugby union).
"Sonny's skill set changed in the way he played, with the one arm offloads. Joey Manu is that sort of player.
"So I'd say that the All Blacks will be watching closely."
