Onyekuru Parries Desperation Talk: It Doesn’t Matter If He Starts Or Not

Olympiakos of Greece winger, Henry Onyekuru has parried talk that he aims to take full advantage of SSC Napoli of Italy striker, Victor Osimhen’s absence in order to make hay at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, megasportsarena.com reports.

Onyekuru, who was part of the bronze winning squad at AFCON 2019 in Egypt, got a late call-up to the Super Eagles’ present roster for AFCON 2021 in Cameroon, but it came because of Osimhen’s forced withdrawal.

The talk across Nigerian football circles has now been that Onyekuru is desperate to take full advantage of Osimhen’s absence to get a starting line-up with the Eagles, but he stressed that it does not really matter to him.

The former KAS Eupen and RSC Anderlecht of Belgium, Everton of England, AS Monaco of France and Galatasaray of Turkey forward stressed that he just wants to contribute his own quota to the Eagles’ success and he will give his best anytime he is called up to play.

It was the same scenario that played out for at Egypt 2019, as he was a fringe player in the Eagles’ squad that went on to win bronze under Gernot Rohr, and the current set up indicates a similar role for him.

However, the product of Aspire Football Academy in Lagos insists he has nothing against playing a bit-part role, but admitted he would prefer playing as a left-winger if he is called upon to feature at the competition in Cameroon.

Going by the Nigerian team’s training sessions, the 24-year-old is behind Taiwo Awoniyi and Umar Sadiq in Eagles’ interim coach, Augustine Eguavoen’s pecking order of center forwards, while he is behind Ahmed Musa, Chidera Ejuke and Samuel Chukwueze for the winger’s role.

However, Onyekuru, who created dramatic images by lying flat on the pitch in a futile attempt to stop a free kick from Riyad Mahrez, after getting off the Eagles’ bench for the last 12 minutes of their semi-final defeat by Algeria at AFCON 2019, pushed aside any personal inclinations, even as he vowed to give his best if called upon by Eguavoen.

Onyekuru told MTN Nigeria’s We Move With Super Eagles: “My personal target is to help the team, it doesn’t matter if I’m starting or not – on the bench or in the first eleven.

“When I’m inside I’ll give one hundred percent and try to support the players in the starting lineup. We play, work together. Left winger, that’s my position.”