Ahead of the 2016 Olympics, there have
been speculations over the choice of three overage players that will
join the Under-23 team, coached by Samson Siasia in Rio.
However, checks by our correspondent
showed that with Siasia looking to strengthen the team’s attack and
inject experience into its midfield, Watford striker, Odion Ighalo,
Chelsea midfielder, Obi Mikel, and CSKA Moscow winger and Super Eagles
captain, Ahmed Musa, are favourites to join the team.
On Tuesday, Siasia alluded to being pressured by a lot of players who are seeking slots in the Rio-bound team.
He told the website of the Nigerian
Football Federation that, “Since we qualified for the football event of
the Rio Olympics, a lot of players both at home and abroad have been
calling me that they want to play for the country, so I and my
assistants intend to use the first week of camping to see these players
who will bear the cost of their trips to the camp and accommodate
themselves.
“For now my plans are to utilise fully
all the FIFA windows beginning with the one in March, with the hope of
taking players selected to an accessible country in Europe where all the
overseas-based players can come with ease, play one or two friendly
games and then return to their respective club sides.”
Siasia, who coached the Nigerian team
that won silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, added that those who would
be selected will join “the players who made us proud in Senegal for
full camping.” And added that “no player is yet guaranteed a shirt in
the team, as I have always said only the best legs will make it to Rio
de Janeiro.”
Asked to choose the players, they
believe deserve to take the three overage players’ slots in the team,
two Olympic gold medallist, Taribo West, and Garba Lawal, picked
26-year-old Ighalo, 28-year-old Mikel and Musa, who would turn 24 in
October, out of a pool of players, which includes 25-year-old Anthony
Ujah and 27-year-old Leon Balogun.
West said though it is Siasia’s job to
pick the players that will represent Nigeria at the Olympic, he thinks a
player like Ighalo should not be left out.
He said, “The choice of the overage
players that will join the team to Rio will depend on the coach. He
knows the weight of his team. I believe he will look for the players
that will help him to earn a better result at the Olympics, which is a
big international platform. It’s left for the team selector to pick
players that will add value to the team.
“If Mikel is a good choice for him,
fine; if Musa is a good choice for him, fine. He has been following the
national team for a while now so he will know the players that can help
get the result that he wants. Ighalo will not be a bad choice at all. At
the moment, he is on fire. Putting a player like Ighalo in the team
will boost the team’s attack. For me Ighalo will be a very good choice
and he is still young.”
Lawal said the team that won the U-23
Africa Cup of Nations in Senegal need players, who have experience, to
excel at the Olympics.
He said, “For tournaments such as the
Olympics, experience is needed. I was at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics as an
Under-23 player and I was at the 2000 Sydney Olympics as an overage
player. I believe we need a striker; that is Ighalo. We need someone
like Ahmed Musa and I believe we need somebody like Mikel.
“Experience matters whether you like it
or not. My opinion will not count because it is the job of the coach to
choose the players that he wants. But in my opinion, these players –
Ighalo, Musa and Mikel – will add much value to that team.”
Apart from the overage players, some
other players, who are Under-23 that might be considered as additions to
the team, include Manchester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho, Granada’s Isaac
Success, William Troost-Ekong of FK Haugesung and Alex Iwobi of Arsenal.
Source: PUNCHNGR