Under-20 head coach Kamau impressed by talent

National Under-20 football team Head Coach John Kamau is impressed by the quality of the players who turned out for trials on Friday as he embarks in forging a side that challenge to qualify for big competitions.

The selection was conducted at the Ruaraka Grounds in Nairobi where players who were not in the initial squad of 36 were given a chance to showcase their skills.

Speaking to Citizen Digital at the venue, Kamau was chuffed by the consistency in performance since the last time the team was assembled.

“We are happy players who played in the Kenyan Premier League Under 20 finals second edition played in August came and convinced us.

“Most of them will form the 15-man team that will join the initial side that we took to Sudan earlier in the year,” Kamau revealed.

The team that played Sudan in the 2017 under 20 Africa Cup of Nations was however banned because five of its members were deemed overage.

“We cannot do away with the whole team that we had before. We have been working on it based on age. Five players were in the bracket of 1996, so we are targeting the players especially in the 1998 bracket.

“We have a short term, intermediate and long term plans for the team. That’s why we will also incorporate some members of the Under 17 side,” elaborated the former Thika United tactician.

Arnold Onyango, the Most Valuable Player in the 2016 Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association Airtel Rising Stars nationals was among the players who appeared without invitation.

He acknowledged competition was stiff but remained optimistic he would get a nod in the near future.

“I did my best and I hope I will get a chance if not this time round I will make in the near future,” the Form Two student at Barding High School remarked.

The final list of successful candidates will be submitted to the Football Kenya Federation on Saturday pending approval before the team is assembled to camp on Monday.

Physical fitness assessment will be the first exercise for the select team before the technical bench zeros down to training ahead of their forthcoming friendly with South Africa.