Odhiambo denied Djurgarden IF competitive debut by finger injury
Kenya defender Frank Odhiambo will have to wait longer before making his Djurgarden IF competitive debut owing to a finger injury.
The former Gor Mahia defender was in the squad that was preparing for the Svenska Cup match against Brommapojkarna on Sunday but did not feature, as his team comfortably won 3-0.
The club went on to explain why the youngster did not feature in that particular game.
"Before the cup match against BP, the accident happened to Frank Odhiambo who suffered a finger injury during training," the club announced.
"An injury that required surgery, according to Djurgården's naprapath Kalle Barrling. Frank operated on his finger on Monday and now he has two weeks of plaster waiting for him.
"Then we get to evaluate the situation after the plaster has been removed."
The towering and versatile defender is set to miss another domestic cup fixture on Saturday against Halmstad. However, he might be fit for a pre-season friendly game away to Honka in Finland on March 27.
Djurgardens confirmed the signing of the defender from the Football Kenya Federation Premier League heavyweights on a five-year contract late in January.
The 19-year-old had been on the rise, from lower-tier side Bongonaya FC and at K'Ogalo, and was even part of the Harambee Stars set-up for the concluded 2022 Fifa World Cup qualification campaign.
Odhiambo is the second Kenyan to sign for the Swedish outfit after striker Michael Olunga, who turned out for the team in the 2016 season. After joining his new team, Odhiambo went on to explain how the Harambee Stars captain contributed to his move.
"[Olunga] gave me a lot of good advice and he told me that it was a fantastic association that has a good philosophy and incredible supporters," the teenager stated.
"Another big reason why I chose Djurgarden was that I hope to be able to follow in Olunga's footsteps so that I can develop into an even better player in that environment. Djurgarden is a good team for young players who want to get the best out of their careers and are good at guiding players in their development.
"I had many different clubs that offered contracts so I sat down and discussed with my agent what was best. There were teams in France, Belgium and Lithuania, among others, but I chose Sweden and Djurgarden.
"I am hungry and want to show what I can do. I like to work hard and look forward to fighting for a place on the team. Cohesion is important to me and I always play for the team's best. I usually have it easy for me socially so I will hopefully get into the team quickly, get to know everyone properly and then contribute out on the field. I also try to be a leader and help my teammates on the field."