STARS ABROAD: Harambee Stars defenders Manzur Okwaro and Amos Wanjala feature in pre-season
Reading Time: 2min | Thu. 23.07.26. | 08:55
Harambee Stars vice-captain Joseph Okumu did not feature as the club continues to carefully manage his workload following his recovery from a long-term knee ligament injury.
Harambee Stars defenders Manzur Okwaro and Amos Wanjala featured for their respective European clubs on Wednesday, July 22, as they continued their pre-season preparations ahead of the new campaign.
Okwaro played just over 45 minutes for French side Stade de Reims in a 1-1 friendly draw against fellow Ligue 2 club Amiens SC at Stade de la Licorne.
Coach Nicolas Usaï named a strong starting XI, but Amiens took the lead in first-half stoppage time through Albin Doucet after the two sides had looked destined to go into the break level.
Seeking to give every player valuable minutes, Usaï made 11 changes at half-time, with Okwaro among those introduced in defence.
Reims fought back in the closing stages, with Arone Gadou scoring a 90th-minute equaliser to secure a 1-1 draw.
Okwaro will be hoping to earn more playing time and impress Usaï as he pushes for a regular place in the senior team. Harambee Stars vice-captain Joseph Okumu did not feature as the club continues to carefully manage his workload following his recovery from a long-term knee ligament injury.
In Spain, Amos Wanjala again featured for Valencia's first team in a 3-0 pre-season victory over Eldense at the club's training complex.
Wanjala came off the bench in the 34th minute, replacing injured Guinea international Mouctar Diakhaby.
By the time he entered the match, Valencia were already 2-0 up thanks to goals from Ryunosuke Sato and Jesús Vázquez in the 23rd and 32nd minutes, respectively.
Dani Raba added a third goal in the 43rd minute to hand Valencia a comfortable 3-0 lead at the break, with the score remaining unchanged until full-time.
Although Valencia made nine changes at half-time, Wanjala stayed on and played until the 61st minute before making way for Iker Córdoba.
The young defender will be aiming to impress coach Carlos Corberán and earn more first-team opportunities, boosting his chances of becoming a regular for Harambee Stars ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
