- Captain Olunga ruled out of Harambee Stars camp as McCarthy prioritises striker’s recovery.
- Olunga suffered to a severe pelvic injury on March 13 that required specialist surgery in Paris, France.
- Harambee Stars face Eritrea and Guinea in the opening two AFCON 2027 qualifiers.
The Kenya men’s national football team captain Michael Olunga will miss the Harambee Stars international matches in September and October, head coach Benni McCarthy confirmed on Friday.
Olunga was among the final squad players expected to feature in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Eritrea and Guinea as well as a planned friendly against Rwanda.
However, McCarthy confirmed that the captain had been excused from the team camp to give him more time for rehabilitation after recently returning from a lengthy injury layoff.
Captain Michael Olunga ruled out of Harambee Stars camp
Addressing the media on Friday ahead of the Eritrea clash on Saturday at the Nyayo National Stadium, McCarthy said it was in Olunga’s best interest to sit out the camp.
The coach revealed that the two had spoken before camp and agreed that the striker should be given enough time to regain full fitness, especially with crucial matches against South Africa and the AFCON 2027 finals on the horizon.
“Olunga came back from a serious injury. He had a couple of games coming off the bench and on Monday he started for his club. He called me and told me he was still feeling a little bit of tightness in his legs. He did a scan and it picked up some strains,” he revealed.
“He would have loved to come, but myself and him decided it was in his best interest and for the long term, including the matches against South Africa and, hopefully, the AFCON. So it was probably best for us to excuse him from this camp,” McCarthy explained.
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He added that the decision was necessary despite Kenya having limited options in attack with Jonah Ayunga also sidelined by a long-term injury leaving the team heavily reliant on Ryan Ogam.
“We could not risk having him if, unfortunately, something bad happened and we lost him for a long time. With Jonah Ayunga also dealing with an injury, we cannot gamble with these players when we are relying on Ryan Ogam only. So the best thing for me to do was to allow him to continue with his rehabilitation,” he added.
Olunga, who is close to becoming Kenya’s all-time leading scorer, was expected to make his national team return after returning to competitive football on August 21, successfully overcoming a gruelling five-month injury layoff.
The captain had been sidelined since 13 March this year due to a severe pelvic injury that required specialist surgery in Paris, France.
Kenya will now have to navigate the upcoming three matches without their captain.
After facing Eritrea on Saturday, the team will travel to Guinea on October 1 as McCarthy continues preparations for a tournament the Harambee Stars are already guaranteed to contest as co-hosts.
[…] ALSO READ: Olunga ruled out of Harambee Stars camp as McCarthy prioritises striker’s recovery […]