Nasreddine Nabi weighs in on Edson Castillo’s Kaizer Chiefs future

Published on by Joel Oliver

Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi has shared his thoughts on the future of midfielder Edson Castillo who has been struggling to hit top form at the club.

Castillo was a substitute in Chiefs’ first game of the season before he started their 2-1 loss to Mamelodi Sundowns last weekend, having come in for Njabulo Blom.

The midfielder has not impressed yet and his coach says he will need to pull up his socks to play more regularly even if he is being given time to find his form.

AmaZulu vs Chiefs: Preview, line-ups, time & where to watch
Kaizer Chiefs players in a match against Marumo Gallants – Photo by Kaizer Chiefs

What does Nabi make of Edson Castillo’s situation?

“Castillo last season started good, but he went down [in his performances] that is the statistics, maybe that situation impacted his morale, his confidence and after the bad time continued,” Nabi told iDiski Times.

“In this moment after the pre-season started, the real Castillo has not come back. He’s a good man, he’s a gentleman, I respect him. I helped him regain confidence in himself, step by step. I think [against Sundowns] he was better than his last game.

Nasreddine Nabi 11
Nasreddine Nabi, Image – Kaizer Chiefs

“I give him a chance, but there’s not many chances to give, because of the responsibility of the club, I think he’s professional, if he receives his confidence back, he will progress.”

The Venezuelan has struggled for form at Naturena

The midfielder joined Chiefs last season and after a good start initially, his form went down and he has struggled to regain it.

He was among players said to be on the chopping board when Nabi came in but he remained at the club and will now have to fight for a place in the starting XI after his coach failed to offer any guarantees.

Avatar photo

Joel Oliver

Joel Oliver is a seasoned multimedia sports journalist with a rich background in covering diverse football stories and events in South Africa and beyond.
His extensive coverage spans subjects touching on the PSL, with a focus on the Big Three (Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs & Mamelodi Sundowns), Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana.