Recovering Olwande in no hurry to return to Stars squad

Kariobangi Sharks defender Samuel Olwande is not under pressure to get a national team call up as Harambee Stars begin their World Cup qualifiers next month, having been sidelined for four months with an injury.

Olwande who was part of Stars squad in the last international windows, had a successful surgery at the Kijabe Hospital on April 16 this year, after tearing his cartilage in Sharks’ opening FKF Premier League clash against Wazito.

The 32-year-old who joined Sharks in 2019 after a stint with Mathare United is however delighted to be back in training after completing the rehabilitation period.

“The injury was a major setback for me and now I cannot say I will be in the squad that will feature in the first round of 2022 World Cup Qualifiers in September 2021, because it will be too soon for me. I don’t have the match fitness and I just have to continue working hard to maybe get another chance in the later stages of the qualifiers,” said Olwande.

Having already resumed training with his club and slowly being integrated into the team, Olwande is upbeat he will get back to his best just as he did after the first major injury in his career.

“It was the second time I got a bad injury in my career but it wasn’t as bad as the first one when I injured my knee. I took it positively and worked hard to be back quickly. It was a setback because I had just started to have my chance to represent my country.” Added Olwande.

He was first operated in 2018 while playing for Mathare United after tearing his right knee meniscus.

This year Sharks has been affected by injuries missing the services of national U-23 winger Patrick Otieno, Patrick Ngunyi who went under the knife in April and left-back Boniface Onyango who suffered a supra-orbital fracture in June.