Cranes players hungry for action – McKinstry

by Graeme Jackson

Saturday Jul 04, 2020. 12:00

Uganda national team coach Jonathan McKinstry says the players are eager to return to action in the qualifiers for the next Africa Cup of Nations and the World Cup.

The Cranes are gearing up for the 2021 African Nations Championship (CHAN) and the road to the major continental and world tournaments set for the following year.

“The Uganda Cranes players are hungry to get back to AFCON and play at the FIFA World Cup,” McKinstry said, as quoted by Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) website.

“We are all hungry for football to resume. Selection will purely be down to player performance.

“There is a wide pool of players to think about and select; these are players in the domestic league, in the diaspora league, and those of Ugandan heritage playing elsewhere. If [you] want to put on the treasured Uganda Cranes shirt, you have to be on top of your game.”

The young Northern Irishman also stressed the need to keep tabs on players and their performances at all times.

“There is a need for continuous assessment of the players, monitoring all and they must maintain that high performance,” he explained.

“The wider the pool of players, the more competition it brings to the team, the more competition, the better the 11 we shall have to produce.”

McKinstry added, “Uganda is a football-loving country. Fine, the supporters have been frustrated with no football action but let us turn this frustration into positive energy. Remember the fans are part of this beautiful journey.”