Kakamega Homeboyz chairman Cleophas Shimanyula has urged the Harambee Stars technical bench to start sourcing for a replacement for Victor Wanyama.
The Kenyan captain put up another poor display as the side battled to secure a 1-1 draw against Togo in their Group G match of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier played at Kasarani Stadium on Monday.
The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder disappointed as Kenya lost 1-0 to Mozambique in a friendly recently. His display against Egypt in the 1-1 draw was also below par.
Shimanyula has now warned the team selectors to start scouting for a new midfielder who can fill in the void for Wanyama.
“We are relying too much on [Wanyama] and it seems the player may have reached his end for the national team,” Shimanyula told Goal.
“We have better midfielders in the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) who can replace [Wanyama], and the selectors should stop looking at big names and look at the players we have in the local league.”
Shimanyula has also faulted the Harambee Stars’ technical bench led by Francis Kimanzi for benching AFC Leopards striker John Makwatta against Togo.
“[Makwatta] deserved to start against Togo and he is the kind of striker who should have given Kenya the goals,” explained Shimanyula.
“One of the reasons why the national team is not performing well is because most of the coaches tend to rely on players who are playing abroad forgetting we have good players in the local league.
“Makwatta is among the leading scorers in the KPL and should have played against Togo, he should have actually started not even coming on but starting from the first minute.”
On the goal, which Kenya conceded, Shimanyula stated, “It was the mistake of the defenders because they never covered the keeper. They relaxed and gave the scorer enough time to head home. It was not a good goal to concede especially when you are leading at home.”
Harambee Stars now have two points from two matches in Group G while Comoros are top on four points.
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