Leonardo Castro made his first appearance for Kaizer Chiefs in almost six months when he came on as a late substitute in the club’s 1-0 DStv Premiership encounter against Maritzburg United away from home on Sunday evening.

It was a step over the white line in the right direction for the Colombian striker, who has made a remarkable recovery from an injury that saw him miss the start of the current campaign.

A beaming Castro, when questioned after the game on finally being back out on the pitch, told www.kaizerchiefs.com “It feels great to be back on the field”.

“I was missing my teammates and being on the field, it was a tough time because the worst part of the injury was the recovery. I kept my patience and needed to be mentally strong in order to get back into the team as soon as possible. Now, I’ve managed to get back and I want to continue to work hard and improve my game every day,” said Castro, after a late appearance on the pitch in the win against Maritzburg United, which was an important milestone for him.

When questioned about how he is measuring up physically, he was candid in the challenges that lie ahead for him.

“It is difficult because the season is on already and for me, there was no time to do a pre-season or friendly games or get into the rhythm. It was quite difficult, but I am going to work hard to help my team,” a determined Castro said.

The Colombian will in all likelihood be part of the Chiefs squad for the next game against Amazulu at home in the DStv Premiership on Wednesday evening.

He is confidently looking ahead to the game, as he feels that having a full selection of players to choose from will benefit Amakhosi as coach Stuart Baxter looks to plan his next moves for the game against Benni McCarthy’s team.

“We have a strong squad. Almost all the players are available for selection, which is a good point for us. With these games coming in the week and on the weekend we are going to need everybody,” said Castro.