Former Premier League cult hero Victor Wanyama baffled fans with a return to Scottish football – and he was sent off 19 minutes into his debut with Dunfermline Athletic
Forgotten Premier League cult hero Victor Wanyama didn’t get off to the best of starts on his return to Scotland.
Wanyama, 33, moved back north of the border in the week when he put pen-to-paper on a deal with Dunfermline Athletic after leaving MLS side CF Montreal when his contract expired in January.
The Kenyan had previously turned out for Celtic between 2011 and 2013. And he linked back up with former boss Neil Lennon with his move to Dunfermline.
However, his dream return quickly turned into a nightmare when he was handed a straight red card just 19 minutes into his return to action.
He wad deemed to have handled the ball by referee Iain Snedden when Dunfermline were already 2-0 2-0 down to Ayr United in the Scottish Championship. Ayr would go on to score a third.
Football fans had been left baffled by the move, with Dunfermline confirming the transfer during the back end of the week: “DAFC are delighted to announce the signing of Kenyan international, Victor Wanyama, on a deal until the end of the season, subject to international clearance.”
Explaining his move, Wanyama said: “I finished in November, so the break over there is too long,” he explained. “In January, I moved to London and I’ve been training at the local team in London, at Barnet.”
Despite interest from the Middle East, he chose Dunfermline, describing it as a “special offer.”
“A midfield pairing of Victor Wanyama and Craig Clay. Scottish football really is something else at times,” one fan said. While a second replied: “It’s that save of Football Manager where you’re 15 seasons deep…”
“The most FM signing you will ever see,” a third posted. And another added: “When the transfers start getting weird five years into the save…”
Wanyama will be best remembered for his time at Southampton and Tottenham by Premier League fans.