After shaking off last week’s injury scare, Joseph Okumu returned to Reims’ starting squad for a friendly game against Torino on Sunday evening.The Kenyan defender had been forced off in a game against Getafe with an injury after 20 minutes of play. It was later dismissed as a minor fatigue issue, and the defender was cleared to play on Sunday evening.##NAJAVA_MECA_7409923##On Sunday, he was named in the starting XI against Torino, a game that the French giants picked up a 2-1 win to continue their sensational preseason form. Okumu featured for 69 minutes before he was taken off.After a barren first half, Perr Schuurs opened the scoring for the Serie A side in the 51st minute, an advantage that only lasted for 16 minutes before Alexis Flips restored parity for the hosts.Mamadou Diakhon then won it for Reims a minute from time.⚽️ 90’ [2-1]Quel but de Mamadou Diakhon ! 🤩💥 Le jeune rémois permet aux Rouge et Blanc de prendre l’avantage en tout fin de match ! #SDRTorino #PrépaSDR pic.twitter.com/uYPJCYYGVQ— Stade de Reims (@StadeDeReims) August 6, 2023 Reims will now shift their focus to Saturday’s first league game of the season against Marseille. The match will be played at the Stade Orange Velodrome City.Okumu completed his transfer to Reims a fortnight ago from KAA Gent of Belgium. The club had to part with around Kes. 1.8 billion to land the services of the former Chemelil Sugar FC man, who has lasted in Belgium for two seasons. He is Reims’ most expensive signing in history.At Reims, he will work under coach William Still, who is unarguably the youngest football manager in Europe’s top-tier league. It is claimed that Reims get to pay €25,000 every game. Will Still stands on the touchline because he has yet to get a professional coaching badge, a price that they are clearly willing to pay.Two matches on the cards as Elite Pre-Season Cup gets underway
