Benni McCarthy on Why Foreign-Based Players Will Still Get Priority in Harambee Stars Squad

Despite the heroics of Harambee Stars players at the 2024 African Nations Championships (CHAN 2024), coach Benni McCarthy is adamant that they are still behind the foreign-based stars in the pecking order.

Harambee Stars have so far stayed unbeaten at CHAN 2024, defeating both DR Congo and Morocco, the Group A favourites, and drawing with Angola to leave them on the verge of sealing a quarter-final place.

With the CHAN tournament played only by local-based players, McCarthy has seen the best that is available in the country and while there is hope that a number of them will give him a selection headache ahead of other international assignments such as World Cup and African Cup of Nations qualifiers, he feels it is too early to start those conversations as the levels are not the same.

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McCarthy wants the local-based players to learn what it entails to play at such levels as they are not exposed like the foreign-based contingent and it would be a big risk to cast aside the experienced pros for players still with much to grasp.

“Playing World Cup qualifiers and CHAN is different. The quality is different,” McCarthy told the media.

“There is progress and I hope one day we will see more but do not set your expectations very high. Give them time to grow, to find their feet and in time, Kenya will have the right players.

“They are a work in progress and it is something that make you smile. They will become the best you can have.”

So far, there have been a number of players who have impressed at CHAN such as Manzur Okwaro, who has excelled in midfield despite being a defender by trade, Austin Odhiambo, who has two goals, defenders Sylvester Owino, Alphonce Omija and Michael Kibwage, Alpha Onyango and Ben Stanley Omondi as well as Boniface Muchiri.

A number of them are already full internationals but they rarely get a look-in when the foreign-based players are around and following McCarthy’s sentiments, they still have work to do before they can get a consistent run in the national team post-CHAN 2024.