Former Harambee Stars Coach Reveals How Dennis Oliech Missed Dream Manchester United Transfer

Legendary Kenyan striker Dennis Oliech could have potentially played for English Premier League side Manchester United were it not for one key issue.

Oliech, one of the most revered strikers Kenya has produced, enjoyed a great career that took him to Qatar and France while he is the country’s second all-time top scorer.

The now 40-year-old left Mathare United for Al Arabi of Qatar in 2003, playing for two years at the club before moving to France, where he turned out for Nantes from 2006-2007 and then a five-year spell at Auxerre followed before ending his French adventure at Ajaccio, a club he played for between 2013 and 2015.

At the time he moved to Al Arabi, Oliech was one of the highly-rated youngsters and in 2004, he was named among one of the most promising players alongside now Premier League legends Wayne Rooney and Robin van Versie.

It is at this time that United reportedly wanted to sign Oliech, according to former Harambee Stars coach Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee.

“In 2004, Dennis was among the top 10 strikers in the world,” Mulee said on a podcast with comedian and radio host Dr Ofweneke.

Mulee, who led Kenya to the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia, recalls how United sent their scouts to the North African nation to monitor Oliech’s performances, having helped Harambee Stars qualify for the tournament.

According to the former Tusker coach, United sent two representatives, one who focused solely on Oliech’s football skills, while another one was tasked with psychometric testing, which evaluated the player’s mental profile beyond his footballing talent.

"Manchester sent a scout to Tunisia. I was the coach then. A scout came with another young guy for psychometric questions," Mulee said, revealing that the scout was impressed by Oliech’s tenacity, pace and fearlessness upfront.

"The young man told me, ‘Coach, I want to use your room to ask your player some questions.’ After he finished, he told me, 'He is a very good player, no doubt, but the results of the psychometric test raised questions.

“It’s not just about talent. Big clubs want to know your mindset, your character, and whether you fit their environment. I don’t know what happened during the test, but I remember them using my room," Mulee further said.

It is not certain what the psychometric test revealed but Mulee remains confident that Oliech would have succeeded at Old Trafford had the dream transfer been successful.

"You would put him on the field and be sure something would happen," Mulee said.

After his stint in France, Oliech would play briefly for Dubai CSC in the United Arab Emirates before he returned to Kenya and turned out for Gor Mahia in 2019.

The Harambee Stars legend made 76 appearances for Kenya, scoring 34 goals, which is the joint second of all-time, alongside Michael Olunga, and one behind leading scorer Michael Ouma.