Durban — AmaZulu defender Riaan Hanamub has expressed his desire to achieve peak fitness as soon as possible as DStv Premiership sides step up preparations for the resumption of the campaign.
The fitness levels of the Usuthu squad were put on blast by head coach Romain Folz ahead of the World Cup break and he pledged to get his men to the required levels to compete consistently.
"I felt like most of our players were not ready physically and when you face a (Sundowns) team that is good on the ball you must make sure you play well and move the ball very quickly. We will be better after the break as we will improve during the Fifa (World Cup) break," said Folz after his side was knocked out of Black Label Cup.
Namibian international Hanamub and his teammates are currently hard at work in a mini pre-season camp as they look to work their way to optimal condition with the resumption of the league just a week away.
“The mood in the camp is high, we can’t wait to get our bodies in shape and the league to resume," he told the club's media department.
“We are obviously coming back from a break and our physical condition is not where it was before we left for the break,” the 27-year-old added.
“But we are definitely pushing to get our bodies in shape. Obviously, we are all happy to be back and we missed each other so much. We couldn’t wait to see each other."
The left-back has taken to life at the club with ease, establishing himself as the club's first-choice left-sided defender both under the previous coach Brandon Truter and now under Folz.
The former Chippa United man has missed just one game for Usuthu in all competitions so far, making 14 starts and establishing himself as one of the best in the league in his position.
Hanamub has been a key figure in Usuthu's pursuit of finishing inside the top four, a position Amazulu could realistically achieve with the kind of talent and experience they have at their disposal.
Folz's men are seventh on the log, four points behind SuperSport United in third and 11 adrift of log-leading Mamelodi Sundowns.
AmaZulu and Hanamub will look to kick off the second stanza of their campaign with a positive result as they travel away to Sekhukhune on December 31.
IOL Sport