McCarthy reveals what Spain-based youngster will add to Harambee Stars

Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy said Job Nguono Ochieng was a player he kept a very close eye on, before naming him in his squad for the upcoming pair of 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against The Gambia and Seychelles.

McCarthy, speaking to the press on Monday, 1 September, said the 22-year-old was a welcome addition to the team, thanks to his unique skill set on the wings.

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“Job is a player I have watched pretty closely,” McCarthy said when asked about the soon-to-be national team debutant currently playing for Spanish side Real Sociedad B.

“He has been playing regularly and scored in the last game.”

A fairly unfamiliar name to most, Ochieng, who was born in Kenya before travelling through a charity to Gran Canaria in 2020, drew the attention of many when he landed a contract at Real Sociedad C in 2022, before being promoted to his current developmental side after a loan spell at SD Huesca.

Having spent four years in Spain during his playing career at Celta Vigo, McCarthy lauded Ochieng’s team, while adding some qualities the former Express FC would add to his squad.

From homelessness to metroic rise in Spain:The inspiring rise of Job Ng’uono Ochieng

“I still keep a very close eye on La Liga and the Spanish championship because I have still ex-teammates of mine that coach now there,” McCarthy, who scored 10 goals in 66 appearances for the Os Celestes, said.

“Real Sociedad’s second team is very good, they are a strong side, and they play in a tough competition.”

On landing the call, he said: “Job was a player that was interested, and he plays on the wing, an area where we could do with top quality players.

He [Ochieng] has the speed, ability and goal scoring threat, so it was just a matter of time that I was going to call him up - when the time was right, and the time is right now."