Nigeria’s youth national team, Flying Eagles’ coach, Paul Osahon Aigbogun has responded to the absence of some key players that are not with him at the camp in Abuja, as he has named a new captain for the squad and lining up a fresh lad to lead his attack at the upcoming Africa Games in Morocco, megasportsarena.com reports.
With his squad captain from this year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland, Ikouwem Udoh Utin now away with Maccabi Haifa of Israel, Aigbogun has settled for Ibrahim Abubakar (aka Babawo) as his new skipper, while Emeka Chinonso looks good to step out as the squad’s latest top striker.
While Chinonso is being tipped as the team’s next top striker for Maroc 2019, the captain will be Babawo, who plays for Plateau United of Jos and makes a return to the national youth team, after being dropped for the trip to Poland, where the squad crashed out in the second round.
Babawo will captain the Flying Eagles in Morocco with another returning player, Wasiu Alalade from Enyimba of Aba to serve as vice-captain, with both Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) stars getting chances of proving their mettle once again under Aigbogun’s charge.
On the other hand, lanky attacker, Chinonso is from Brooke House FC of England and now looks to step up from the unwanted status of being an an unused substitute at Poland 2019, as he now gets the chance to lead Aigbogun’s attack at the Africa Games.
Chinonso showed a sign of what he can do with a long range sizzler during training, but he will have to do more in order to edge ahead of Poland 2019 revelation, Success Makanjuola, who has also impressed in training at the under-20 team’s Abuja camp.
However, a strong hint has emerged that Makanjuola may get a deep role in midfield, to fill in for other missing players from the squad that lost 2-1 to Senegal to crash out of the Youth Mundial, with Aigbogun set to build his new formations round the fringes of what he saw in Poland.
