Harambee Stars: Another Blow for Benni McCarthy as Experienced Defender Suffers Injury

Harambee Stars defender Daniel Anyembe has joined a growing list of injury concerns for Kenya's upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers after being sidelined from his club's recent match.

The 28-year-old was absent from the Viborg squad that secured a 1-1 draw against Silkeborg in the Danish Superliga on Sunday. According to a club statement, Anyembe, along with teammates Yonis Njoh, Tim Freriks, and Mohamed Riahi, missed the fixture due to injury.

While Viborg did not specify the nature of the issue, reports suggest the Kenyan international picked up a minor knock during training last week and was unable to recover in time for the game at Jysk Park.

This development could pose a significant selection headache for Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy, who had named Anyembe in his provisional squad for the upcoming matches against Eritrea and Guinea.

The defender's potential absence compounds existing doubts over the fitness of midfielder Zech Obiero, newcomer Louis Millard, and fellow defenders Deon Woodman and Stanley Wilson.

McCarthy will not be relying on striker Jonah Ayunga, midfielder Richard Odada and defender Collins Sichenje until next year as they are nursing long-term injuries but his immediate plans are now also being hampered by the latest injuries.

McCarthy is set to name his final squad for the two matches and he might have to call up other players in key positions in the wake of the injuries to get the right blend and balance.

Kenya will host Eritrea on Saturday, September 26 at Nyayo Stadium before playing away to Guinea on October 1.

While Harambee Stars are already qualified by virtue of being AFCON 2027 co-hosts, the qualifiers are important for McCarthy to gauge the quality and level of preparedness of his team for the tournament and he would like to have all his big hitters around.