Thomas Berntsen, the sporting director of Swedish giants AIK Fotboll, has revealed that an injury suffered by Kenyan international defender Collins Sichenje during the preseason might have affected his chances of playing regularly for the team.Sichenje, who previously played for AFC Leopards, returned to AIK last year after an impressive loan spell in Finland with KuPS.During his time with KuPS, he won the club’s Young Player of the Season Award and helped the team finish second in the league.##NAJAVA_MECA_8154896##Despite his success in Finland, Sichenje has struggled to secure playing time at AIK.Speaking to Fotboll Direkt, a Swedish sports publication, Berntsen acknowledged Sichenje’s professionalism in handling his lack of game time since returning to the club.He praised Sichenje’s dedication and ambition, noting how hard he trains and his strong desire to play.”Collins is an ambitious player who trains hard and wants playing time, but it is the coach who selects the team, and I have 100% confidence in them. The players must perform well in training to earn their place in the team. As long as they are at AIK, they must focus on AIK,” Berntsen stated.FKF Div. One: Michael Olunga Football Academy to announce new coach next month set plans for upcoming seasonThe Norwegian director did not rule out the possibility of a transfer of Sichenje during the summer.Recently, Mozzart Sport reported that an unnamed club in Finland and a Serbian club, Vojvodina, were interested in acquiring Sichenje on loan. Serbian, Finnish clubs eye Harambee Stars defenderSichenje had also expressed his desire to leave the club in the Swedish media, a sentiment that Berntsen did not appreciate.”We shall see. We make the decisions that are best for AIK, but of course, we consider the player’s wishes as well. Collins wants to play, but you have to remember that he was injured last winter, which took time to recover from. The most important thing for us is AIK, but we always consider our players,” Berntsen added.”It is crucial for our players to focus on AIK and do their best here. That applies to all players. I prefer that our players concentrate on AIK, living like athletes by sleeping well, exercising, and eating properly,” Berntsen emphasized.Collins joined AIK ahead of the 2022 campaign and made eight appearances for the club before his loan to KuPS.Recently, he was called up to the Harambee Stars team for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Burundi and Ivory Coast but did not feature in either match.Tomas Trucha’s most trusted lieutenants since taking over at AFC Leopards
