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Super Eagles’ acting coach, Augustine Eguavoen is bound to start the team’s preparations for next month’s Africa Cup of Nations with only 22 of the 28 players officially listed for the championship on Friday.
Megasportsarena.com reports that, although ‘Egu’ got brave in releasing his final roster over two weeks to the January 9 kick-off in Yaoundé, the gaffer might not be so lucky in getting all his players at the start of camping in Abuja this week.
That is basically due to the fact that those among the lads plying their trade in Scotland and England, jointly-referred to as UK-based, have been excluded from the December 29 deadline given by Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for the invitees to land in camp.
The UK-based lot – Watford’s Emmanuel Dennis Bonaventure and William Troost-Ekong, Leicester City’s Wilfred Onyinyen Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho, Alex Iwobi from Everton and Frank Ogochukwu Onyeka from Brentford Town – have all been granted leave of absence till January 3rd.
This is contained in a press statement from the communications department of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), which also confirmed all 28 players that have been officially registered in the Eagles’ final squad roster for the upcoming AFCON in Cameroon.
With all six players based in the United Kingdom not expected until January 3, Eguavoen will have to kick-start his training sessions with the remaining 22, depending on if they will all be on ground this Wednesday, as stipulated in the NFF statement, or they could arrive in trickles.
The statement added: The three –time winners will confront seven-time and record winners Egypt, Sudan and debutants Guinea Bissau with venue in the northern town of Garoua, and a mouth-watering clash with the Pharaohs in the group opener on Tuesday, 11th January means the Eagles must hit the ground at blistering pace.
Eguavoen, who coached the Super Eagles to third-place finish at the finals in Egypt 15 years ago, has selected four goalkeepers, nine defenders, five midfielders and 10 forwards to aim for Nigeria’s fourth diadem in Cameroon.
Goalkeepers Maduka Okoye and Francis Uzoho, defenders Kenneth Omeruo, Olaoluwa Aina and Abdullahi Shehu, midfielders Joseph Ayodele-Aribo and Chidera Ejuke and forwards Moses Simon, Odion Ighalo and Samuel Chukwueze are also on the roster.
There is a return to the group for former U17 World Cup –winning captain Kelechi Nwakali, forward Emmanuel Dennis and 2016 Olympics star Sadiq Umar.
Four goalkeepers make the final squad of 28, being Francis Odinaka Uzoho (AC Omonia, Cyprus); John Noble (Enyimba FC); Daniel Akpeyi (Kaizer Chiefs, South Africa); and Emil Maduka Okoye (Sparta Rotterdam, The Netherlands).
Defenders on the roster include Chidozie Awaziem (Alanyaspor FC, Turkey); Kenneth Omeruo (CD Leganes, Spain); Leon Balogun (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland); William Ekong (Watford, England); and Olaoluwa Aina (Torino, Italy).
Also named among the invited defenders are Jamilu Collins (SC Padeborn 07, Germany); Abdullahi Shehu (AC Omonia, Cyprus); Zaidu Sanusi (FC Porto, Portugal); and Olisa Ndah (Orlando Pirates, South Africa).
Midfielders invited to the camp in Abuja are Frank Onyeka (Brentford FC, England); Joseph Ayodele-Aribo (Galsgow Rangers, Scotland); Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England); Chidera Ejuke (CSKA Moscow, Russia); Kelechi Nwakali (SD Huesca, Spain).
The forwards include Ahmed Musa (Fatih Karagumruk, Turkey); Samuel Chukwueze (Villarreal FC, Spain); Victor Osimhen (Napoli FC, Italy); Moses Simon (FC Nantes, France); Sadiq Umar (UD Almeria, Spain); and Taiwo Awoniyi (Union Berlin, Germany).
Bringing up the list are Odion Jude Ighalo (Al-Shabab Riyadh, Saudi Arabia); Alex Iwobi (Everton, England); Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City, England); Emmanuel Dennis (Watford, England).
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