Khune delighted at Chiefs return while admitting to club struggles

Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune has shared his delight at returning to the first-team while admitting that the Soweto giants need to improve following an underwhelming start to the season.

Khune has wrestled back the first-choice jersey after a year on the side-lines during which he was even written off with some encouraging him to either retire or leave the club.

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The 35-year-old has patiently waited and has now been between the posts in the last three games giving some stabilizing influence.

"It feels great to be back on the field playing regularly but it is not going to be easy for me to keep the number one spot because of the competition that we have in the team in our department," says Khune. 

"Brandon (Petersen) is waiting for his opportunity, Bruce (Bvuma) is waiting for his opportunity, Bontle Molefe is waiting for his opportunity so every match that Itumeleng Khune plays he knows he has to give an extra 10% on top of the 100 that he always gives.

"So, it feels great to be back," he notes.

However, of greater concern is the fact that Chiefs have started the season at a tortoise pace which last left them near the drop zone and eight points behind leaders Mamelodi Sundowns at the quarter-mark stage.

"Obviously, we are not doing badly but it is not the start we wanted so for me my role and responsibility is to keep reminding the guys how good we are and how we can believe in ourselves and in our abilities to get ourselves out of the situation that we have put ourselves in.

"So, we just have to keep believing.

"We have to work hard at training.

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"Whatever it is that we do at training we must take it into our games because at training we do score beautiful goals and we do make beautiful saves.

"Everyone is doing what they can in their respective positions but during matches, I don't know what tends to get into our heads because we don't give what we always give here at training.

"So, that is something that we need to work on and improve," says Khune.

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