Photo Credit - Dunfermline Athletic.
Former Harambee Stars captain Victor Wanyama has credited manager Neil Lennon for his decision to sign for Scottish Championship side Dunfermline Athletic.
The 33-year-old midfielder is set to make his debut in a crucial away match against Ayr United at Somerset Park, potentially facing a team managed by his former Celtic teammate, Scott Brown.
However, asked why he choose to join Dunfermline, who are currently fighting against relegation, Wanyama said: “Neil Lennon called me and asked for my help at Dunfermline. I also spoke with the owner, and his ambition for the club impressed me. I turned down other offers to join Dunfermline. It was a no-brainer for me.
Neil and I have a great history. He played a significant role in my career, and now we're working together to keep Dunfermline up. We want to work together to achieve our goal of keeping the club in the league.”
On his objectives with club, Wanyama, whose last stint was at CF Montreal in the Major League Soccer (MLS), said: “The first challenge is to get the club to where they belong. At the moment they’re sitting not in a good place, so we have to fight as a team. Our challenge is to be safe, and that’s what we’re going to play for.”
“If we can avoid the play-off, that would even be a plus. We will take it game by game and see how we can get out. We have nine matches to save our season, and we're confident that we can turn things around. We'll take it one game at a time, starting with our match against Ayr United on Saturday.”
He concluded: “I’m looking to drag a few players with me and try and help them to be on the same page. I know the talent is there. Just try to put a lot of belief in them and not to be scared to make a mistake. Football is a game of mistakes. You make a mistake and then you get up and try again. That’s what drives players and gets you to improve.”
Wanyama has earned 64 caps for the Kenyan national team since making his international debut in May 2007 at age 15. He joined a Dunfermline side, who are currently sitting ninth in the Scottish Championship with 27 points from 29 matches.
They have won seven matches, drawn six and suffered 16 defeats. Dunfermline play at East End Park, are nicknamed The Pars and are managed by former Celtic and Northern Ireland Midfielder Neil Lennon.
The club have played at East End Park since their formation in 1885; however, the pitch they initially played at – also known as East End Park – was slightly west of the present stadium.
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