Benni McCarthy slammed for dropping forward Michael Olunga for friendly games

Former Kenya striker Dennis Oliech has taken aim at head coach Benni McCarthy for leaving national team captain Michael Olunga out of the squad for this month’s international window.

Olunga was not included in the group selected to face Equatorial Guinea and Senegal, with McCarthy insisting the forward needed a period of rest after a busy run of games.

Oliech, however, believes the Al-Duhail striker’s influence is too important to ignore.

“Olunga deserves to be in the Harambee Stars squad. The coach doesn’t deserve to leave Olunga out because he is the leading captain and best striker for Kenya,” said Oliech as quoted by Flashscore.

“Until Olunga says I have retired, it is when he should be left out of the squad. Having Olunga in the squad, and with the experience he has, will motivate the young players in the team.”

“It is unfortunate Kenya is going to Turkey without experienced players, even the young players will feel burdened with the opportunity of playing minus experienced players guiding them.

Oliech warned that travelling to Turkey for camp without senior figures could weigh heavily on the squad’s emerging talents.

“If you have experienced players in your team, it is not necessary they start a game; they can come from the bench and make a huge impact, and by doing so it will be a big motivation for the young players.

“This will motivate the young players, because they need to learn from someone, and that someone is an experienced player. So, for me, I still believe Olunga is part and parcel of the national team, and should not be ignored.”

Kenya are scheduled to face Senegal on Tuesday, November 18.