Things might be gloomy at Royal AM at the moment following the departure of coach Dan Malesela, but there is good news as striker Samir Nurkovic has started training with the club, iDiski Times has learnt.
Nurkovic picked up an injury at training during the pre-season with Royal AM just days after joining the club. This has resulted in him not playing any single match of the 10 AM has played since the start of the season.
The towering Serbian striker was signed after he was let go by Kaizer Chiefs at the end of last season but for all this time, Nurkovic was in Joburg undergoing rehabilitation.
“Nurkovic has arrived back in Pietermaritzburg to start training with Royal AM,” a source told iDiski Times.
Get unlimited, fast 5G home wifi. Delivered to you fast from rain.co.za!
“He phoned me, looking for a nice place to stay in Pietermaritzburg and yes he started training two days ago.”
This will be good news for Royal AM, as Andre de Jong, though not used as a focal point, has been scoring the goals for the club, three to his name.
Ruzaign Gamildien, signed from Swallows, has struggled to feature as a starter while Mxolisi Macuphu is struggling to recapture the form that saw him being the hit in the second half of last season after he just joined Royal AM from TS Galaxy.
The club has been relying on Motebang Sera in the last few matches, but he has scored only one goal in the process.
Nurkovic was an instant hit at Chiefs when he joined the club in the 2019-20 season, coming close to shooting Amakhosi under Ernst Middendorp to the DStv Premiership title.
He scored 13 league goals in 26 league appearances in that season. That led to Chiefs being the hot favourite to win the league title, but they collapsed to Mamelodi Sundowns in the last game after that season resumed in the bio bubble.
In the following campaign, Nurkovic was then mired by long term injuries, missing the entire first round. However, Chiefs then improved his salary packages, ending talks that he was wanted in Saudi Arabia and North African teams.
When he came back to the pitch, he scored just three goals in 21 league matches but his goals against Simba SC and Wydad Athletic Club helped the Amakhosi to reach their first ever CAF Champions League final.
Last season, Nurkovic, amid injuries and the loss of form, scored only one goal, which came against Chippa United in April, leading the club’s leadership to opt to part ways with the 30-year-old striker during their recent squad revamp.
Malesela Leaves Royal AM
