Siphiwe Tshabalala will continue his bid for full fitness when Kaizer Chiefs return for pre-season training on Monday.

The Bafana Bafana star picked up a toe injury during the season run-in. The resumption of pre-season gives the playmaker the perfect opportunity to gauge his recovery progress.

He said: “Yes, we will be starting with our pre-season training on Monday. I myself will be doing light training to judge my progress towards full recovery. I am definitely looking forward to getting back to training with the rest of the guys.”

Chiefs have been linked with several new players as coach Stuart Baxter looks to bolster his squad. Tshabalala expects some new faces at Naturena and the midfielder is relishing the resultant competition for places.

“I am sure that there may be new players joining us for the session. If that is so, I am confident that they will bring competition to the team. This should lead to an interesting season ahead,” he added.