Although Kenya picked up just a point against Comoros, the winger showed his brilliance against their rivals in both games
Retired Harambee Stars defender James Situma has stated FC Masr's Cliff Nyakeya is going to be an important player in Kenya’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Although Kenya lost momentum after drawing against Comoros in Nairobi and losing in Moroni in November’s double-header, Situma believes the winger will emerge as a vital star not only in the Group G qualifiers but also in the future games, should he remain focused.
“Nyakeya is a player who can do anything any minute in a game. He is technically good, has speed and he is still young,” Situma told Goal.
“He has a long way to go, for now, though because he is young but he will play vital roles in these qualifiers. He just needs to focus more and keep the hard work going.
“Personally, I have played with him at Mathare United and he is a good player who is ready to learn.”
When Kenya drew 1-1 against the group rivals on Thursday, Nyakeya provided the assist for Masoud Juma’s equaliser.
Head coach Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee maintained him in the starting XI and ended up scoring Kenya’s goal when they went down 2-1 on Sunday.
Kenya's chances of making back-to-back Afcon qualification were made more complicated with Egypt’s away win against Togo on Tuesday.
The Pharaohs and Comoros are now holding the two positions that will secure Afcon slots with two matches remaining.
As Harambee Stars chances became slim with the Comoros results, a cautious Football Kenya Federation president Nick Mwendwa said they still stand a better chance than they were in 2016 during the 2019 qualifiers at this point.
“The big question is Togo and Egypt, what do we do? Is it a guarantee we win the matches? It is not, we never said it is a done deal, so what do we do?” Mwendwa quipped in an interview with Goal.
“We have to be ready to get something out of the two nations, it is either we win or at worst we get a draw, we must prepare well for the remaining matches and as FKF we are doing everything possible to make this team happy and make sure they give us the good results that we want as a country.”
The qualifiers will commence in March 2021.