Harambee Stars head coach Benni McCarthy has thrown his weight behind goalkeeper Byrne Omondi.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThe gaffer says the Gor Mahia custodian is good enough to play in some of the biggest leagues on the continent and even in Europe despite facing criticism from his club supporters.Omondi started for Kenya in Saturday's 1-1 draw against Eritrea at Nyayo Stadium and produced several important saves as McCarthy's side avoided defeat after falling behind early in the match.##NAJAVA_MECA_9985343##The goalkeeper went into the international assignment under scrutiny following his suspension by Gor, with the club reportedly investigating his performance, alongside that of defender Mike Kibwage, during their 5-1 defeat to Pyramids in the second leg of their CAF Champions League tie in Cairo earlier this month.While his performance in that match continues to attract criticism from Gor Mahia supporters, McCarthy has maintained his faith in the former KCB and Bandari goalkeeper, whom he believes possesses the physical attributes and quality to compete at a much higher level.“Since I started as coach, he’s come in, and when I look at Byrne, I see the stature of someone like Denis Onyango,” said the South African coach.“He reminds me a lot of Denis Onyango with his time at Sundowns and big stature, and every single day in training and during CHAN, he was impactful.”Harambee Stars extend 23-year wait for victory over Eritrea in lacklustre AFCON build-upThe South African coach believes Omondi's abilities go beyond the level of the Kenyan Premier League and feels the goalkeeper should be competing against some of the best players in Africa.“For the life of me, I couldn’t understand how he was still playing in the Kenyan league,” he added. “No disrespect to the teams in Kenya, but I thought he was a goalkeeper that could play in Europe, Egypt, Morocco, and the South African league. He is that good.”McCarthy's continued selection of Omondi comes at a time when the goalkeeper's club situation remains unsettled, with Gor yet to conclude its investigations into the circumstances surrounding the heavy defeat to Pyramids.The coach, however, sees no reason to allow club criticism to influence his decision-making with the national team, pointing to the goalkeeper's performances whenever he has worked with him.PLAYER RATINGS: How Harambee Stars players performed in draw against Eritrea“We have faith; we believe in that. He gets criticized for whatever reason it is for his club, but for the national team, what he does when he plays for himself and the technical team is completely different,” McCarthy said.Omondi's latest outing came as Kenya was forced to fight back for a point against Eritrea, with Ryan Ogam scoring late to rescue Harambee Stars from a disappointing home result.##NAJAVA_MECA_9985322##The draw leaves Kenya with another demanding assignment next, as McCarthy's side travels to face Guinea on Wednesday.Guinea will also be looking to respond after suffering a 2-1 defeat to South Africa in Johannesburg on Saturday, setting up another difficult test for Harambee Stars.
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