Naibois' Muyoti elated with Manzur Okwaro’s return after long layoff

Nairobi United Football Club head coach Nicholas Muyoti has expressed delight at the return of utility player Manzur Suleiman Okwaro, saying he will boost the team as they push for a top-four finish in their debut season in the Kenyan Premier League.

Okwaro returned to full-team training last Wednesday but missed Saturday’s clash against Murang'a SEAL, with Muyoti opting for a precautionary approach before throwing him into action against Tusker FC on Wednesday.

Okwaro, who missed the start of the season due to a partial tear of the right distal biceps femoris tendon, clocked 45 minutes before being substituted.

Muyoti added that the Harambee Stars utility player’s comeback will be a major relief for his side, which has struggled defensively, losing four consecutive matches across the Premier League and the CAF Confederation Cup group stages.

“I am happy Manzur (Okwaro) is back. Today I decided to give him some minutes and felt it was best to start him and then substitute him. It’s not that he couldn’t have played 90 minutes, but it was purely a precautionary measure. He has just returned to fitness and we didn’t want to risk any setbacks,” Muyoti stated.

“In the next match, we will see if it’s possible to give him more minutes. He is a big boost to us because we want him to bring the international experience he gained at CHAN 2024 into the team,” Muyoti added.

“We are lucky to have him back because he offers us more. Besides playing at the back, he can also be deployed offensively, and we can benefit from that versatility,” said the former Nairobi City Stars coach.

Currently, Nairobi United sit 11th on the league table after 10 rounds of matches, though they have four games in hand.

To improve their current position, the former Thika United player now wants his charges to capitalize on the chances they are creating, insisting the team has already gelled and that only goals are missing.

“We have created so many chances, and had we converted them, I feel we would have put five goals past Tusker. Tusker also created chances, but I thank our defenders for thwarting their threats.”

“We now need to go back to the drawing board and sharpen our goal-poaching skills. If we capitalize on our chances and continue to defend well, the team will do well and move up the standings,” underscored the tactician.

Their continental campaign has not been smooth either, with the team placed bottom of CAF Confederation Cup Group B after losing both opening matches, against Wydad Casablanca of Morocco and AS Maniema Union 3-0 [away] and 1-0 [home] respectively.