The teen sensation hopes to catch the eye of coach Benni McCarthy ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifier against The Gambia on Thursday night.
Manzur Okwaro is the youngest member in coach Benni McCarthy’s Harambee Stars squad currently in Abidjan, Ivory Coast for Thursday night’s World Cup qualifier against The Gambia.
Harambee Stars take on the Scorpions in a match they must win to revive their chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, with the fixture slated at 10pm Kenyan time, at the Alassane Ouattara Ebimpe Olympic Stadium in Abidjan.
Among those angling for a place in the starting XI is 18-year-old defender Okwaro, who made the cut to the final squad, despite his relative inexperience.
Former Harambee Stars coach Francis Kimanzi has shed light on Benni McCarthy’s thoughts on the quality of the Kenyan national football team.
The teen sensation is hoping to make his Harambee Stars debut against The Gambia, having been elevated from the Kenya U20 team that qualified for the 2025 Africa U20 Cup of Nations, and he is thrilled by the opportunity.
“It feels like a dream for me. At only 18, to make it to the final squad of the senior national team is a massive achievement,” Okwaro told Telecomasia.net.
“This was my first time ever being called up to the senior team and to make the final cut makes it even sweeter. I am delighted with this opportunity and I want to use it as a learning opportunity to improve myself.”
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Harambee Stars goalkeeper trainer Moeneeb Josephs has hit out at the South African giants for not showing respect and sportsmanship following their recent league loss.
Okwaro plays for KCB, mostly as a left-back, but he is a naturally gifted centre-back whose versatility has proved to be an asset for his club and national teams.
Now, he hopes McCarthy has seen enough to hand him some minutes in the crucial match that Kenya must win to revive their chances.
