Kaizer Chiefs have confirmed that while Itumeleng Khune is ‘progressing well’ he is not quite ready to begin training, but Happy Mashiane and Nkosingiphile Ngcobo are fit to begin pre-season training.

Khune suffered a shoulder injury in December which required surgery to fix. This ruled the shotstopper out for the remainder of the season, while he also missed out on the Bafana Bafana squad who are competing at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Mashiane and Ngcobo rose to prominence when Ernst Middendorp arrived at the club in December 2018 and promoted the young duo to the first team. They, however, both suffered injury setbacks and were ruled out for the majority of the second half of the season with toe and achilles injuries respectively.

In a statement on Tuesday the club confirmed that pre-season training will begin on Wednesday and while Mashiane and Ngcobo are fit to participate, Khune may take just a little longer.

‘Goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune is progressing well on his journey back to fitness after a long absence due to a shoulder injury,’ read a club statement.

‘Happy Mashiane on the other hand is ready to resume training after a long absence due to a toe injury. Nkosingiphile Ngcobo is also making great progress as he works on his recovery from an achilles injury but is not expected to join his teammates in full training during this pre-season.

‘The medical team will assess the trio throughout the pre-season and give an update on their anticipated return and readiness to participate in competitive matches.’