Leonardo Castro and Samir Nurkovic’s return a much needed boost for Kaizer Chiefs

Johannesburg – Kaizer Chiefs’ striker Leonardo Castro says he’s rejuvenated and ready to help the team by banging in the goals in the second half of the term following a long hiatus.

Amakhosi endured a rollercoaster outing in the first half of the season. They had an underwhelming start before finding their feet. But their momentum was interrupted following the outbreak of Covid-19 at their base, the Village, early December.

Chiefs resulted in forfeiting their first two matches of the month, before they played the last three, winning two and losing one. But with their appeal to play those matches set to go for arbitration this month, Chiefs were hard at work in January.

They camped in Cape Town, where they played friendly matches against teams such as Cape Town Spurs, preparing for the final stretch of the season. That was a success as there were players that were relieved from the medical room.

“I think this break helped us as injured players returned to training. It was a good time to revive ourselves in terms of fitness and match-conditioning. We are ready to tackle the games ahead with responsibility and desire,” Castro said.

"Hopefully, I can celebrate again. I want to do my celebration in the next game. And I also want to show the (supporters and everyone) that I still have the desire to play and win more games and trophies for Kaizer Chiefs going forward."

One of the players that returned to full training was striker Samir Nurkovic. The Serbian only played the first five domestic matches of the season, before a knee injury kept him out for the rest of the year. But he’s pleased that he's back.

“I'm really happy to be back finally, with the boys on the field. We are working hard as we prepare for the next match (in