Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has heaped praise on Leyton Orient midfielder Zech Obiero following his impressive debut for Kenya during the ongoing FIFA Series clash against Estonia in Kigali, Rwanda.
The 20-year-old midfielder, who is currently on loan at Tranmere Rovers in England, delivered a composed and mature performance in his maiden appearance, leaving the South African tactician encouraged about his future with the national team.
Obiero, a product of Tottenham Hotspur’s youth academy, has steadily risen through the ranks of English football. He joined Leyton Orient’s academy at the age of 14 and signed his first professional contract with the club in February 2022.
His senior debut came in April 2022 in a League Two match against Crawley Town, where Leyton Orient secured a 2-0 victory. Since then, the midfielder has continued to develop his game, earning a loan move to Tranmere Rovers in search of regular playing time recently where he has impressed at the club which has seen him get noticed by Harambee Stars head coach.
Football runs in the family of the new Harambee Stars gem.
The 20-year old midfielder is the son of former Gor Mahia and Kenya Breweries player Henry Obiero, while his brother, Micah Obonyo Obiero, currently plays for Wealdstone FC after moving from Boston United.
Having grown up in a football environment, Zech’s journey to the national team seemed destined, and his FIFA Series debut offered a glimpse of his potential on the international stage.
Obiero had previously received a call-up to the Kenya U20 squad during last year’s AFCON U20 preparations but did not make the final travelling team.
Coach Benni McCarthy impressed with Zech Obiero after Harambee Stars debut
However, McCarthy saw promise in the young midfielder and handed him his senior call-up as Harambee Stars prepared for the FIFA Series in Rwanda. The coach went a step further by naming him in the starting line-up against Estonia, showing faith in the youngster’s ability.
The midfielder repaid that trust with a solid performance, particularly in the second half where he played a key role in Kenya’s attacking build-up.
Obiero provided the assist for Ryan Ogam’s equaliser, helping Harambee Stars level the match before the game was eventually decided by post-match penalties. Kenya lost 5-4 in the shootout, missing out on a place in the final against Rwanda and instead settling for a third-place playoff against Grenada scheduled for Monday.
The Harambee Stars tactician has expressed his satisfaction with Obiero’s performance and highlighted the midfielder’s ability to adapt to African football despite coming from Europe.
“Zech Obiero as well also when you come from Europe, settling playing African football is a little bit different and it is an adjustment you know that you need to take because you saw in the first half he was working hard for the team but he hardly had opportunities to get onto the ball to settle in,” McCarthy said.
“But second half when the whole team started functioning well, I think we were able to find him in a lot of pockets and then he was able to show the qualities why I wanted him part of the first team to begin with and yeah he just controlled the tempo of the game, nice passes with teammates and then he also gave the crucial pass for the assist for the goal.”he added.
McCarthy’s remarks underline the growing confidence in Obiero’s abilities and the potential role he could play in the future of Harambee Stars.
With more game time and continued exposure at the international level, the young midfielder is expected to become a key figure in Kenya’s midfield as the team builds towards upcoming 2027 AFCON that is set to be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.