Crystal Palace U-18 captain Martin Onoabhagbe has made himself available for selection to the Flying Eagles team ahead of this summer’s FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland.
A central defender by trade, Onoabhagbe has been in exceptional form for Palace U-18s side throughout this season and was rewarded with his first start for the U-23s against Colchester United in November 2018.
The 2000-born defender trained with Team Nigeria UK in 2015 and 2016 but was not selected because he was then not technically sound and was asked to go and do more work.
He later got scouted by Crystal Palace before joining the club in 2017 and being close to cementing a spot in the U-23 side will highlight the progress he has made in the last three years.
Onoabhagbe’s minders have described him as a mature, strong and intelligent defender with a massive future ahead of him and with good leadership qualities.
Last season, the 18-year-old appeared in 22 matches for Palace’s U-18 team.
