Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy pulled the trio of Moses Shumah, Mohamed Bajaber and Edward Omondi aside shortly after Thursday’s training session at the Ulinzi Sports Complex. While the rest of the players proceeded for their warm down session, the three forwards were asked to remain on the pitch to tap finishing lessons from McCarthy. It did not catch the three and the rest of the team, by surprise, considering that McCarthy was a lethal forward during his active years and before taking up the Stars job, he worked as a forwards’ coach at Manchester United. ##NAJAVA_MECA_8779943##Omondi, who is commonly known by his nickname Ondimo, revealed what the South African legend told them after the session and how he wants the forwards to conduct themselves on the pitch. The Sofapaka winger termed McCarthy’s training sessions as one of the best, judging from how he is keen to details and how well he gives instructions and relates to the players. ##NAJAVA_MECA_8784232##”He asked the three of us to remain behind so as to share tips aimed at improving our finishing. He took us through some drills and urged us to improve on our striking. He wants us to be comfortable with the ball and pass it around with ease. I have been enjoying his training sessions and how he encourages me to fine-tune my scoring instincts,” revealed Omondi. Why Mohammed Bajaber foresees ‘bright future’ under Benni McCarthyThe 21-year-old, who is among the new faces at the Stars camp, further disclosed that the former Cape Town City FC head coach had encouraged him not to back down from displaying his dribbling skills. Omondi is arguably one of the best ball dribblers in the current Stars camp and, by extension, in the Kenyan top tier. “In fact, he wants me take on players more and improve on the skill. I have noticed that he does not discourage players from showing their strengths,” he opened up. Benni McCarthy reveals help he received when naming Harambee Stars squadOmondi, who is in his first season in the top tier, has been impressive for Sofapaka, scoring six goals and creating a handful. “I was not expecting the call-up at all. I learnt of it through my sister. We were at my mother’s place in Dandora when she logged on to social media and realized that I had been included in the provisional team. I did not believe it until I saw a post on the Harambee Stars pages,” recounted Omondi on how he learnt of his call-up. Besides Sofapaka, he has played for Dandora All Stars and passed through Dandora Hotspurs and Baghdad junior side.
