“I am excited to be back,” says Keagan Buchanan ahead of Sunday’s Sparta Macufe Cup clash between Kaizer Chiefs and Bloemfontein Celtic. The midfielder has fully recovered from his injury and will probably get an opportunity to play in the game.

The 25-year-old joined Amakhosi for the new season. However, he was still recovering from a knee injury sustained in November 2015 when he was playing for Bloemfontein Celtic.

Buchanan is now fit again and already played for Chiefs’ reserve side in the MultiChoice Diski Challenge. Last Saturday, he got minutes for the first team when they faced Botswana’s Township Rollers in a friendly.

Thanks to all these games, Buchanan is no longer scared to get a knock: “Especially in the MDC, you have some young guys, they see you and they want to impress – I went past quite a few tackles. So that’s now out of my mind.”

The skilful midfielder admits that it was a “long journey” back to full fitness and is thankful for the support he got from his “family as well as the Kaizer Chiefs Family”.

He was excited when Chiefs’ Football Manager Bobby Motaung handed the number 10 jersey over to him, recently worn by the likes of John ‘Shoes’ Moshoeu and Siyabonga Nkosi. “I am very honoured,” he reacts.

Buchanan is looking forward to Sunday’s match against Celtic, his former club. “The game will give me a platform to see where I am in terms of fitness and touch of the ball,” he comments. “It’s special to be back, it’s emotional as well.”

What is important for the midfielder, who was born in Athlone (Cape Town), is to help the team: “Whatever the coach says, I will do.”

He’s not putting too much pressure on himself, pointing out that “if I play my game, I shouldn’t have a problem to succeed at Chiefs. For sure, there is pressure, always is. However, I am confident in my abilities.”

The Macufe Cup 2016 is the highlight of the Mangaung African Cultural Festival (Macufe). Phunya Sele Sele and Amakhosi will face each other at the Free State Stadium on Sunday, 9 October (kick-off is at 15:00).

Tickets are available at Computicket.