Kaizer Chiefs coach Gavin Hunt has revealed that goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune has been battling with the mental side of his game.

The 33-year-old has struggled for game time and form this campaign after making number of costly errors, after which he lost his place in the squad to Daniel Akpeyi.

However, the Bafana Bafana shotstopper returned to the Amakhosi squad when he came on in their victory over Wydad Casablanca after Akpeyi received his marching orders at the FNB Stadium this past Saturday.

Speaking to the media after the game, Hunt said Khune has fallen out of love with the game but is slowly starting to find his feet.

‘He’s had a hell of time in his life, you know, with what’s happened,’ Hunt said after their win over Wydad.

‘But I can see he is coming back, mentally. I always felt that his problem – I spoke to him about this, I don’t want to hide it – is that he fell out of love with the game. You’ve got to love the game.

‘But it happens in a football career sometimes [losing one’s passion for the game].

‘What happened to him off the field was tragic, but sometimes in football, you need something to jolt you. He’s coming back. You’ve got to want to go to training every day and love it – if you don’t it’s a problem. I’ve spoken to him about it.’