How Stanley Wilson convinced Firat into a Harambee Stars call up despite just two FKFPL appearances

FOOTBALL How Stanley Wilson convinced Firat into a Harambee Stars call up despite just two FKFPL appearances

Mark Kinyanjui 18:38 - 21.09.2023

The 18-year-old has now been named in the FKFPL team of the week two times in each of the first three FKFPL Game Weeks.

Harambee Stars head coach Engin Firat has explained why he fast-tracked teenage sensation Stanley Wilson into his setup during the just-concluded international break.

Wilson, who signed for Kariobangi Sharks from Darajani Gogo in August, has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water, and last Sunday, got off the mark for the William Muluya-coached side during their win over KCB at the Kasarani Annex.

The 18-year-old has now been named in the FKFPL Team of the Week two times in each of the first three FKFPL Game Weeks, underlining how impressive he has been and why he has been earning all the plaudits.

Firat decided that his presence in the national team was not “down to luck", admitting that he had doubts about the recommendation his assistant William Muluya had given about the player until he got to witness him playing against Kenya Police FC.

Wilson produced a Man of the Match performance with his ability to dictate the tempo of the game and give line-breaking passes which instantly won him over.

“Things do not happen by luck. When he was in school, William Muluya, my assistant, informed me about him and we monitored him at this time because he told me about the extraordinary talent that he saw,” Firat said.

“We were not sure about him, but it is a totally different environment to come from school to the Premier League. I was surprised that he adapted to a new league so fast and we saw at this moment especially after the match against Police that this boy should come early to us and understand which level he has to go to work with the big ones and to understand the first steps of his future.”

Wilson was not able to travel with the squad to Qatar for the friendly because he lacked a passport but was an unused substitute in their second game against South Sudan in Kasarani.

Wilson will be hoping to keep the fire burning if he is to earn another call-up in October, as Stars continue to step up their preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers which will commence in November this year.

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