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Joseph Okumu: Harambee Stars defender suffers injury with IF Elfsborg
The 23-year-old defender has been ruled out for two weeks after he picked an injury while playing in the Swedish top-tier
Kenya international Joseph Okumu has suffered an injury setback that will see him miss IF Elfsborg action in Sweden for the next two weeks.
According to Elfsborg team doctor Matilda Lundblad, the towering defender, who was in his best form for the Swedish top-tier side, suffered a small injury in the membrane around the calf muscle and he will be out for the next two weeks.
In a statement published on the club’s official website, Lundblad stated: “Joseph [Okumu] has a small injury in the membrane around the calf muscle. He is expected to be partially available for games in just over two weeks.
“Rasmus Alm did an MRI examination yesterday [Friday] which showed muscle strain in the back of the thigh and his return to full play is estimated to take about three weeks after the injury.
“We wish Rasmus and Okumu a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing them both on the pitch again.”
The injury to Okumu will sound like a big blow to the player, who in recent weeks had attracted interest from Scottish giants Rangers FC with Daily Record reporting the player had stated this week he’s keen to take the “next step” in his career.
And Elfsborg's sporting director also stated Okumu could be the best defender the Allsvenskan has ever seen, ahead of even the likes of Filip Helander and Olof Mellberg.
Stefan Andreasson said: “Okumu has been talked about a lot since he came to us.
“We understood that this was a very good player, then he showed maybe the whole of Sweden last year, and also Europe. It is clear that Okumu is one of the best.
“I have said it once before, that he is the best centre-back that has ever been in the Allsvenskan - you can say that sometimes. He is destined to have a career outside Scandinavia, which is positive. We must enjoy him as long as he's here.”
Apart from his links to Ibrox, Harambee Stars coach Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee will recover in time in readiness for the World Cup qualifying matches which were postponed to September.
