Nigeria and Leicester City midfielder
Wilfred Ndidi has backed the Super Eagles’ other strike options
to step up in Victor Osimhen’s absence.
Osimhen is currently Nigeria’s most potent source of goals but
will not partake in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers
against South Africa and Benin due to an injury.
The Napoli forward’s absence leaves a huge void in Finidi
George’s team, who will play their
two qualifying matches within the space of four days in the second
week of June. Nigeria will host Bafana Bafana in what is
expected to be a tricky test at the Akwa Ibom Stadium in Uyo on
June 7.
The Super Eagles will then take on Benin at the Felix Houphouet
Boigny Stadium in neighbouring Ivory Coast as they look to recover
from their poor start to the World Cup qualifiers. Nigeria are
currently third in Group C of the CAF World Cup qualifiers, a point
below South Africa and two more behind leaders Rwanda after two
rounds of matches.
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The West Africans had a sluggish start to the qualifying
campaign and garnered just two points from their opening two
matches after surprisingly drawing with both Zimbabwe and Lesotho.
However, they have been one of the best teams in Africa since the
start of 2024, having finished second at the Africa Cup of Nations
(AFCON) three months ago.
Nigeria’s performance in the AFCON, where they lost just once
(in the final) and kept four clean sheets in seven matches, was a
far cry from their insipid displays in the months before. Currently
ranked as the third-best team on the continent, the Super Eagles
will be heading into the World Cup qualifiers with renewed hopes
and in better form than they were in November when they faced
Zimbabwe and Lesotho.
Victor Osimhen withdraws from World
Cup qualifiers against South Africa, Benin
Finidi George’s side has, however, been hit by a big blow
following
Victor Osimhen’s injury. The Napoli striker was part of the
Super Eagles squad for the games against South Africa and Benin but
later pulled out after his injury was deemed worse than first
thought.
The 25-year-old has been battling niggling injuries in recent
weeks and missed Napoli’s final two Serie A matches against
Fiorentina and Lecce. While not much information has been given
about the extent of his injury, a statement from the Nigeria
Football Federation (NFF) confirmed Osimhen has been ruled out
for at least four weeks.
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The NFF also announced that highly-rated Enugu Rangers defender
Kenneth Igboke has been handed a late call-up to replace Osimhen in
the Super Eagles squad for the World Cup qualifiers against South
Africa and Benin next month.
“Camp update: Africa Player of the Year, Victor Osimhen is
injured and out for 4 weeks. Super Eagles’ Coach Finidi has called
up Enugu Rangers’ left back Kenneth Igboke for the WC qualifiers
against South Africa and Benin Republic,” the NFF said.
Wilfred Ndidi believes Super Eagles
have enough quality to step in for Osimhen
Napoli have often struggled in Osimhen’s absence and drew their
last two matches against Fiorentina and Lecce when the Nigeria
international was unavailable, but Ndidi believes the Super Eagles
will be fine without the striker.
Finidi’s 23-man squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers has
seven forwards. Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface is the most
prominent name among the striking options and is joined by OGC
Nice’s Terem Moffi and Trabzonspor’s Paul Onuachu. Ndidi’s
Leicester City teammate Kelechi Iheanacho is also included, while
Atalanta’s Europa League hero Ademola Lookman, Bayer Leverkusen’s
Nathan Tella and AC Milan’s Samuel Chukwueze make up the list of
strikers invited for the upcoming assignments.
Ndidi believes although Osimhen is a world-class footballer and
will be missed, Nigeria boasts enough attacking talents to make up
for his absence. He, therefore, called on the other attacking
options in the squad to rise to the occasion when the Super Eagles
face South Africa and Benin.
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“Osimhen is a great player, he’s a hustler. I call him hustler
because he plays like a street footballer with strength and strong
mentality. There is no doubt that we are going to miss him. He’s
quite important to the team because he drives the team forward and
he has great impact,” Ndidi said when he visited the New Maracana
Complex in Ajegunle, Lagos, as quoted by The Nation.
“However, we have many great strikers who can bring their own
dynamics into the team and make an impact. It’s all about the team.
This is not the time to begin to think about him not being around
but to go out there and win the matches and wish him the best as he
recovers from his injury.”
‘Nigerians will see the best of Finidi
George’ – Wilfred Ndidi
Meanwhile, Ndidi also threw his weight behind Finidi George to
lead Nigeria to success. The 53-year-old first took charge of the
Super Eagles in March as a caretaker coach but has since been
handed the job permanently.
Finidi currently boasts a record of one win and one defeat from
the two international friendlies he took charge of in March but is
viewed as one of the most enterprising indigenous coaches with a
high ceiling. The former Ajax and Mallorca forward promised that
Nigeria would play attacking football under him during his
unveiling and also challenged himself to qualify the team for the
World Cup and win the next AFCON.
Ndidi, who helped Leicester to gain promotion to the Premier
League from the English Championship last season, has described
Finidi as a great coach, insisting Nigerians are yet to see the
best of the Super Eagles head coach.
“Finidi is a great coach. I was with him in Morocco during the
friendly matches, which was quite difficult for him because he was
all alone. Now that he has the full complement of his assistants,
we are going to see the best of him with the support of all
Nigerians and the football federation,” Ndidi stated.
Who will occupy Super Eagles’ no.9
role in Osimhen’s absence?
Meanwhile, Finidi will have to make a decision over who will
replace Osimhen in the team for the games against South Africa and
Benin. The Napoli striker would have started if he were available
but his injury means Nigeria will be without him for both
matches.
Should Finidi choose to go with a three-man attack as he did in
the friendlies against Ghana and Mali in March, then Victor
Boniface would be the most likely option for the centre-forward
role. The 23-year-old enjoyed an impressive debut campaign in
Germany, where he scored 21 goals and provided 10 assists as
Leverkusen won the double.
Although he is yet to establish himself at the international
level, having only made his Super Eagles debut in September 2023
and also missed the AFCON due to injury, Boniface seems to be the
most viable replacement for Osimhen. The Leverkusen forward is a
completely different profile to Osimhen but dribbles better, links
up better and also guarantees goals.
Alternatively, Finidi could opt for Onuachu, who has equally
been impressive in the Turkish Superlig since joining Trabzonspor
on loan from Southampton. The 30-year-old was involved in 17 goals
and four assists in the just-ended season and would be a good fit
for the centre-forward role.
Terem Moffi, who reached 50 Ligue 1 goals a few weeks ago, is
another player who can replace Osimhen through the middle. The
other attacking options in the Super Eagles squad, although they
can adapt to the no.9 role, are more suited to the flanks. Lookman
has locked down the left wing, while one of Tella or Ihenacho would
likely occupy the right wing position.
Chuhwueze would’ve been a viable option for the right-wing too,
but the AC Milan star has had fitness issues in recent weeks and
missed the club’s matches against Torini and Salernitana through
injury. The bottom line, though, is that Finidi has an array of
talented forwards to pick from and Osimhen’s absence shouldn’t be
felt too much when Nigeria take on South Africa and Benin.
Source link : https://www.afrik-foot.com/en-ng/ndidi-strikers-shine-victor-osimhen
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Publish date : 2024-05-30 07:00:00
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