Jesse Were (Jersey 22) with team-mates during Harambee Stars training morning session at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos.PHOTO/Raymond Makhaya
MACHAKOS, Kenya, June 7- Zesco United forward Jesse Were has been ruled out of Saturday’s 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Sierra Leone due to injury as First Coach Stanley Okumbi named his 20-man travelling squad on Wednesday.
Okumbi explained that Were, who sat out of the morning training session at the Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos picked up a knock on Tuesday and will not be able to play.
The squad will also miss the services of Belgium based midfielder Johanna Omolo and left-back Aboud Omar (paying in Bulgaria) who were injured on club duty last weekend.
Okumbi has named several new faces in the final squad with Sony Sugar’s Boniface Muchiri, Tusker’s Jackson Macharia, Gor Mahia’s Ernest Wendo and Kariobangi Sharks’ Masoud Juma being among the new players who might make their international debuts in Free Town.
The squad will be skippered by Victor Wanyama who plies his trade with English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.
Harambee Stars players jostle for space during training at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos.PHOTO/Raymond Makhaya
Kenyan Premier League top scorer Stephen Waruru has also made the cut having impressed the coaching team during the past two weeks of training.
Squad to Sierra Leone
Goalkeepers: Boniface Oluoch, Patrick Matasi
Defenders: Simon Mbugua, Joseph Okumu, Musa Mohammed, David Ochieng, David Owino, Brian Mandela, Eric Ouma.
Midfielders: Victor Wanyama, Ernest Wendo Jackson Macharia, Anthony Akumu, Samuel Onyango, Ayub Timbe, Eric Johanna.
Strikers: Massoud Juma, Michael Olunga, Stephen Waruru, Boniface Muchiri.
