Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat has told experienced players to prepare for fierce competition from up-and-coming talent.
In an interview on Tuesday, Firat said he would continue to unveil new players as he intensifies his search for the right personnel to hold brief for Kenya on the international stage.
“Nobody should assume he is in the starting lineup by default. Everyone must work hard to secure a place in the national team, including those who’ve been there for some time,” Firat remarked.
“I believe in giving everybody a chance and I’m glad the new call-ups are proving their worth in training. They seemed a little nervous on the first day but have picked up,” he added.
The Turkish gaffer handed call-ups to a host of fresh talent in his 28-man provisional squad for the Four-Nations tournament in Malawi this weekend.
They include Murang’a Seal custodian Bonphas Munyasa, AFC Leopards’ centreback Kayci Odhiambo and Bandari teen sensation David Sakwa.
“It’s important to introduce new players like Ayunga, Kayci and goalkeeper Munyasa. I like what they do. It’s a fantastic opportunity to try out novel tactics. In the competition, we’ll be trying out a few new faces and choices,” Firat said.
“Important players can get injured from time to time, thus having a good pool of candidates to pick from is essential.”
They had initially lined up two friendly matches against elite European teams before the idea of participating in the four-nation tournament was conceived by the Football Kenya Federation.
“Before June, we had scheduled two matches against European opponents, but the simultaneous Fifa schedules disrupted our plans. But this competition offers us an equally useful venue,” Firat stated.
“We have a great opportunity to get ready for the qualifications in June with this competition. We will face good teams (in Malawi),” he added.
Stars will use the four-nation tournament to gauge their readiness for the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Burundi and the Ivory Coast in June.
Stars open their campaign against hosts Malawi on March 23. The winner will face the winner of the other match, pitting Zambia and Zimbabwe, in the final scheduled for March 26.
