Wanyama's season preps hit by knee injury
Victor Wanyama and Kyle Walker-Peters of Tottenham Hotspur model sunglasses at Venice Beach on July 24, 2018 in Venice, California. Wanyama flew back to London on July 31 for medical attention on his injured left knee. PHOTO | JAYNE KAMIN-ONCEA |
What you need to know:
- Kenya captain sent back to London from Spurs’ USA camp for medical attention.
The 'American curse' has again struck Victor Wanyama with the Kenyan footballer expected to miss the start of the 2018/2019 English Premier League season with injury.
On Tuesday, Wanyama's club Tottenham Hotspur announced he had been sent back to England from the USA with a recurrence of a troublesome knee problem.
"Victor has gone back with Tashan (Oakley-Boothe) to London to see the doctor. I think it is the same problem as last season in his knee. We will assess him in the next few days to see what happens," said Tottenham coach Mauricio Pochettino on the club’s official website.
Tottenham have been camping in the USA for the past fortnight as they prepare for the start of the 2018/2019 EPL season on August 10.
Worryingly, the Harambee Stars captain has not featured in any of Spurs' friendly matches in the USA, including a 4-1 win over AS Roma in San Diego, 2-2 draw with Barcelona in Los Angeles and Wednesday’s 1-0 triumph over AC Milan in Minneapolis.
All indications are that the defensive minded midfielder has yet to fully recover form a left knee injury he sustained during Tottenham's tour of the USA last year. He missed four months through injury last season after opting against undergoing surgery.
In March, Nation Sport exclusively reported how Wanyama flew to Morocco to join Harambee Stars for their friendly games against Comoros and Central Africa Republic accompanied by a personal doctor sent by Tottenham.
The doctor’s main brief was to monitor the player’s left knee which tended to swell after intense activity and required massaging after training sessions and matches.
In Marrakech, Wanyama only managed to play in the friendly match against Comoros. He scored the opening goal - a penalty kick - in the match that ended in a 2-2 draw.
The former Celtic and Southampton man also excused himself from the national team's tour of India in June, suggesting to Nation Sport at the time he needed a rest after a gruelling season in England.
Besides the uncertainty of Wanyama appearing for Spurs in their opening league tie against Newcastle on August 10, Stars coach Sebastien Migne will also be sweating on the available of the powerhouse midfielder for their crunch 2019 African Cup of Nations qualifier at home to Ghana on September 7.
Migne could not be reached for comment.
"The coach is out of town at the moment but he is banking on Wanyama to be fit for the Ghana game. He is the team captain and remains key to our plans of qualifying for next year's Africa Nations Cup," said Barry Otieno, FKF Media Officer.
