Duro Ikhazuagbe
Ahead of the double header World Cup 2018 qualifier against Cameroon, Super Eagles Franco-German coach, Gernot Rohr, is believed to have recalled former Watford forward, Odion Ighalo, back to the senior national team along with some fresh faces.
Ighalo who switched to Changchun Yatai in the Chinese Super League in the January transfer window has rediscover his scoring tricks in the Far East and is getting a new look in from the Eagles gaffer.
He has 11 goals from 20 games for Yatai and is being strongly considered for a starting role.
THISDAY learnt yesterday that Rohr’s list of 23-players for the double header is to be released today by the Technical Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
Also scooped to make his debut against the Indomitable Lions is Anthony Nwakaeme of Hapoel Be’er Sheva from the Israeli topflight.
Nwakaeme ended last season with 14 goals in the league, he also had 10 assists, 54 shots on targets and completed 1,003 passes.
He has scored five goals this term from six appearances. Nwakaeme was voted the player of the season in Israel following his sterling display for the league champions.
Nwakaeme caught the attention of the coach in one of the games of the last season’s Europa League where he played a leading role for Hapoel Be’er Sheva in their shock win over Inter-Milan.
The forward is reportedly one of the players Rohr is considering to boost the attack of the Super Eagles.
Carl Ikeme’s absence from the Super Eagles is believed to have opened another opportunity for ex-junior goalkeeper, Dele Alampasu, to contest for the number one jersey of the team. Alampasu is tipped as one of the players to be listed in the battles of Uyo and Yaounde.
The 20-year-old former Golden Eaglet has been called to the Nigeria squad since 2015, but is yet to play a competitive fixture for the three-time African champions.
The gangling goalkeeper has Ikechukwu Ezenwa to contend with for the starting shirt. Ezenwa was in goal for the home-based Eagles on Saturday in Kano as Nigeria defeated Benin Republic to qualify for the 2018 CHAN tournament.
With Leon Balogun back from the injury that prevented his featuring for Nigeria the last term against South Africa in the AFCON 2019 qualifier, Rohr should be happy now having his three central defender in place. William Troost-Ekong and Chidozie Awaziem are the others to compliment the heart of Eagles defence.
