Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune believes mental strength will play a huge role in the restart as his team looks to pick up where they left off before the break.

The Glamour Boys sit atop of the league table heading into the restart, but they only have a four-point gap on Mamelodi Sundowns who also have a game in hand on Chiefs.

With leagues across Europe having already restarted and completed their season, teams and players in the PSL have been able to learn from their European counterparts regarding mistakes made upon the restart, especially the goalkeepers.

‘I realise that the break, due to this Covid-19 pandemic, affected a lot of keepers, including Manchester United’s David De Gea and Leicester City’s Kasper Schmeichel,’ Khune told the Amakhosi website. ‘They didn’t seem to have the same confidence as before the break.

‘There was clearly a lot of rustiness,’ he added. ‘Luckily, we have had a bit more time to prepare before the league restarts.

‘We have also discussed various aspects on our “Keeper Corner”, which is us goalies communicating with our goalkeeper coach, Lee Baxter, and it’s basically about learning from the past to go forward.

‘Going back into the field will all be about mental strength. We just need to be ready come August 11.

‘It’s important for us to continue where we left off,’ he continued. ‘Luckily, we have new technology, like the Zoom mobile app, via which we could have video communication.

‘This helped the coaches to guide us on exercises to keep fit. It was a frustrating time, as we missed being on the field. We just had to hang in there.

‘We are happy that we will soon be able to do what we all love again – playing football.’