South China team director Peter Leung Shou-chi said yesterday he has yet to decide whether or not he would keep star midfielder Leslie Santos until the end of the season.
Angry fans have besieged the club with telephone calls seeking an explanation as to why Santos has been omitted from the past couple of matches.
Santos told the press on Tuesday he would definitely leave the Caroliners when his contract expires at the end of June - after a 16-year spell with the club.
He said he had been 'ignored' by the club management though he had fully recovered from his knee injuries, which resulted in six operations over the past four seasons.
However, Leung has not been moved by Santos' plea.
'The season is not finished yet. My focus is on the three remaining titles [the Ericsson League, the Viceroy Cup and the FA Cup],' said Leung who promoted Santos from the South China reserve team to the First Division squad in 1986.
'All players have their value. But my practice is I don't start contract negotiations during the season. It's way too early to say if we will extend Santos' contract or not.' Santos has complained about decisions made in their last three games.