- Harambee Stars suffer injury blow as Job Ochieng ruled out of Grenada clash in the FIFA Series third-place playoff.
- Ochieng was substituted in the first half on Friday as Harambee Stars fell to Estonia on penalties.
- McCarthy revealed that, although it’s a disappointment, they opted to send him back to Spain for further assessment.
Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has provided an injury update on Job Oching, stating that the winger will miss Monday’s clash against Grenada and they have decided to send him back to Spain for further evaluation.
On Friday, March 27, the winger, who plies his trade in La Liga with Real Sociedad B, was forced off in the first half during the FIFA Series mini-tournament currently being held in Kigali, Rwanda.
Where Harambee Stars fell to Estonia in a penalty shootout, missing out on a place in the final.
ALSO READ: Estonia edge Harambee Stars on penalties to reach FIFA Series tourney final
Harambee Stars suffer injury blow as Job Ochieng ruled out of Grenada clash
Speaking ahead of Monday’s third-place playoff against Grenada, coach McCarthy shared news on the rising star, revealing that Ochieng’ suffered a minor strain.
He also explained they chose to send the player back to Spain for additional treatment, as they couldn’t risk keeping him for the match.
“I think Job came off. He had a little bit of a strain on his hamstring. We sent him to medical, he did a scan and it came out fine. It’s nothing serious, just a little rest and a lay-off.
We took the decision to send him back to his club for further treatment because we don’t want to jeopardize losing him any longer by forcing him to play the next match. He’s gone back to Spain to receive treatment from his team,” McCarthy explained.
The Bafana Bafana legend also revealed it’s a massive blow to his side, especially since the youngster would have been a big help in Monday’s clash.
“But obviously, it’s disappointing for us because he’s been one of those standout players from the first match, so he would have been a great addition for tomorrow’s game, but unfortunately he won’t be there.”
As disappointing as that is for the former Manchester United first-team coach, he believes Ochieng’s absence will also give them a chance to shake things up and offer other players minutes, allowing everyone an opportunity to feature since it’s just a friendly tournament.
“There are other players who can step in. We’ll have another training session today, and then I’ll decide if I make some changes to the team. The idea is to try and give everybody a chance to get on the pitch, play some minutes, represent the country, and add to the quality we have,” he added.
McCarthy states the whole mission is to build a strong squad to ensure they are ready for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations 2027, which Kenya is set to co-host alongside Uganda and Tanzania. Ochieng has been one of Benni’s key projects for that tournament next year.
“Like we said, we are preparing for the one coming in 2027, so you want to see all your players. So there might be some changes in tomorrow’s squad from the team that started against Estonia, but we will see after training today.”
Currently on a four-match winless run, the men’s national team will try to at least grab something on Monday from 5 PM EAT at the Amahoro stadium, as they hope to finish this mini-tournament on a strong note.