Wanyama speaks of his frustrations as MLS campaign comes to a close

Former Harambee Stars captain Victor Wanyama has admitted that he was disappointed to be reduced to a bench warmer in the just-concluded MLS campaign and says no explanation was given for his reduced involvement.

Wanyama, the CF Montreal assistant captain, began the season as a starter in the middle of the park but soon lost his place in the team and was relegated to the bench. He would get a few minutes off the bench, but most of the time he was confirmed to be on the bench.

Montreal finished in the tenth position in the season that ended on Sunday, thereby missing out on the playoffs in what has been a tumulus season for the Canadian giants under Argentine coach Hernan Losada, who took over before the start of the season.

In an interview after the conclusion of the season, Wanyama did not mince his words, saying the tactician, whom he played with over a decade ago in Belgium, did not offer any explanation for benching him, a decision that caught him by surprise.

“I was disappointed. As a player, you want to play more. I didn’t really understand why. But I trusted my teammates to get the job done, even if the situation disappointed me. At first, the team was winning, and I respected the decision. When things started to get worse, I asked for explanations, but I didn’t get any. I was surprised that he couldn’t give me the reason," he told Canadian Soccer Daily.

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Wanyama has one more year left on his contract with the club, and when asked if he was considering leaving the club, the player appeared to leave his options open but clarified that he did not regret renowing his contract with the club despite having received many offers from within the MLS and abroad.

“I still have a contract here for next year. We’ll see how it goes. When I resigned at the start of the season, everyone trusted me and wanted me to stay. I was happy with it, and I have no regrets because we all had the same goal.”

Losada appeared to hit back at Wanyama, saying he explained everything that he needed to the former Kenyan international.

“Everything I had to say to him, I told him, looking him straight in the eyes. I can understand his frustration. Sometimes, it can be difficult to accept that a young player plays in your place because he is better than you,” he stated.

Losada’s future appears to be up in the air after what has been a disappointing campaign for the club.

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