After being reined in as the new head coach of Kaizer Chiefs following the dismissal of Ernst Middendorp, it is expected to be all systems go for Gavin Hunt as he prepares his troops for the MTN8 quarterfinals this weekend.
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The Glamour Boys, who are still reeling from unfortunate events of last season, are hoping for new beginnings when they take to the field against hoodoo side Maritzburg United at FNB Stadium on Sunday, October 18.
Chiefs resumed training over two weeks ago, but Hunt has been dealt devastating news as he will be without two of his most imperative players for Amakhosi’s first official match of the 2020/21 campaign.
Speaking to the media in his maiden MTN8 press conference as Chiefs mentor on Thursday, Hunt sympathized with many of his injured players, with special mention of Samir Nurković and Leonardo Castro.
“I came here and a lot of these players have been injured. Samir, the top goalscorer, has been injured and he won’t play,” Hunt told the media.
“He’s had an operation, hasn’t trained a single day and I think he will be out for some time. Castro was obviously also injured before the end of the season. He also hasn’t trained much. I think those are the two major injuries.”
Despite the major setback for the former Bidvest Wits tactician, finding solutions with the players he has at his disposal, is what he intends to do.
Full press conference:
“They were the cornerstone of the team last year and had done very well. That is a problem going forward – but we will have to realign ourselves and reshape to play to the strengths of the players that we’ve got, that’s important and I will try and do that,” he said.
Besides the two players mentioned above, Willard Katsande and Lebogang Manyama will also be missing from Sunday’s match-day squad as they serve respective one-match suspensions carried over from last season.