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Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter
HE arrived with a reputation as one of the best emerging group of players in the country and, after his first match for CAPS United, justified all the buzz around him. Midfielder Blessing Sarupinda comes from a football family and, some say, he could be the best of the lot from his bloodline and, if his first impressions on Sunday, were anything to go by, the Green Machine could have picked a gem.

The young midfielder was so impressive, against Manica Diamonds, the fans even reacted angrily when he was pulled out in the second half.

Sarupinda is widely known playing up-field during his days at Aces Youth Academy and Black Rhinos last season.

But he demonstrated he was equally good in the holding position where coach Lloyd Chitembwe is likely to deploy him this season.

“What motivated me to have Sarupinda in midfield is the fact that the boy has so much ability on the football,’’ said Chitembwe.

“He is very intelligent with the ball and at the same time he gives you the work rate.

“He has so much that he can give you, not necessarily in forward positions but in slightly withdrawn positions because in those positions he is able to have more time on the ball and he can manipulate the ball very well.

“He is one player who has a lot of ability to make the whole team play. That’s the reason why I decided to have him in the midfield.

“I thought he gave us a lot, especially in the first half, though in the second half he was a little bit elaborate.

“We wanted him to continue but this is still a learning phase for this boy. He is only 19-20 thereabout so he still has a lot to learn and I am happy with his application.

“He is one kind of player who I can tell you is destined for greater things if he continues growing and developing.’’

But Chitembwe is worried about returning forward Dominic Chungwa.

The striker limped off in agony early in the season-opener against newboys Manica Diamonds.

Chungwa, who was the Premiership Golden Boot winner with 17 goals in 2017, is desperate to make an impact on his return to the domestic scene.

The 33-year old wasted the whole of last year at Polokwane City in South Africa where he made only seven appearances and scored once.

His last league game was on April 22 last year.

“He suffered a groin injury but we are still to assess the extent of the injury. It’s difficult to tell now; it can be possible only after we have conducted more assessments tomorrow (today),” said team doctor Nick Munyonga.

However, the injury has worried Chitembwe, who rates the bulky forward highly. “It’s a setback. Dominic is a special player. We really need him in our next game, we have to ascertain from the doctors the seriousness of the injury but we just hope it’s not something very serious,” said Chitembwe.

The Battle of the Cities is one of the blockbuster fixtures on the domestic calendar.