Nigerian midfielder
Wilfred Ndidi has described Finidi George as a “humble and
amazing” coach and says the Super Eagles are in safe hands with
him. George was confirmed as the substantive coach of the Nigeria
national team last month after initially being appointed as the
caretaker manager.
George enjoyed a trophy-laden career as a footballer at both
club and international levels. While with Ajax Amsterdam, the
53-year-old won three Eredivisie titles, two Dutch Super Cups, the
UEFA Champions League, and the UEFA Super Cup. He also won the
Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with Nigeria in 1994.
Since retiring from football, George has been involved in
management and led Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) side
Enyimba to the league title last year. The former Real Betis and
Real Mallorca forward will hope to instill his winning mentality in
the Super Eagles after replacing Jose Peseiro at the helm.
Photo by NFF
Media
George’s first two games in charge of Nigeria—both friendlies in
March against Ghana and Mali—brought mixed feelings after he guided
the team to beat the Black Stars but was powerless to stop them
from suffering defeat against Mali.
Ndidi says Finidi George’s
Super Eagles won’t slip up against South Africa,
Benin
The real test for George will come next month when Nigeria face
South Africa and Benin in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The Super Eagles will host Bafana Bafana in Uyo on 7 June before
travelling to Ivory Coast to face the Cheetahs three days
later.
There is, however, added pressure on George due to the fact
that the West Africans are winless in their opening two
qualifying matches and desperately need to win to climb up in Group
C, where they occupy the third position.
Ndidi, who featured in each of George’s first two matches in
charge of the Super Eagles, believes the former Enyimba coach is
the right man to take Nigeria to the next level. The Leicester City
midfielder backed George’s appointment, emphasising that the
national team is in safe hands.
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Sport
“Finidi is an amazing coach, we worked with him in our two
friendly games in Morocco and he impressed us with the way he
executed the two games against Ghana and Mali without any assistant
coaches, just him and his other officials. It is not easy for one
man to do all that. We are good to go with him. He is humble and
amazing. I think I will say congratulations and see what happens in
the future,” Ndidi told Complete Sports.
The Leicester City man also laid down the gauntlet ahead of the
World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin, insisting the
Super Eagles will not choke this time as they did against Zimbabwe
and Lesotho in their previous qualifying matches.
“We know how important those two games are to us and we won’t
allow it to slip away. It will be tough games, not easy ones but we
shall see to it that we do not slip again,” he added.
Wilfred Ndidi open to leaving
Leicester City
Meanwhile, Ndidi is currently back home in Nigeria after helping
Leicester City gain promotion to the Premier League. The
27-year-old was one of the Foxes’ key players as they finished at
the top of the English Championship with 97 points.
Ndidi’s contract is, however, set to expire at the end of June,
which has led to speculation surrounding his future. During
Leicester’s title celebrations, the former Genk anchorman suggested
he would be playing in the Premier League next season but did not
specify whether he’d stay with the Foxes or join another club.
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Sport
The Nigeria international has been linked with English sides
Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Brentford and Crystal Palace, with
Spanish giants Barcelona also reportedly keen on signing him on a
free transfer. However, addressing his future, Ndidi revelled
in helping Leicester to regain promotion to the Premier League but
said he was open to plying his trade elsewhere after spending the
last seven years with the Foxes.
“It is good to be back to the Premier League after being
relegated and struggling back to EPL
is actually something we don’t want to go back to again.
I think morale is high, expectation is high, we have to ensure we
do not return to the Championship. It’s a tough place to play. If a
good chance comes, I won’t mind trying my luck elsewhere but
for now I remain a Leicester City player,” Ndidi
said.
Ndidi missed Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2024)
campaign in Ivory Coast due to injury, but his return to the fold
is a huge boost for the Super Eagles ahead of the World Cup
qualifiers against South Africa and Benin next month. The
midfielder remains one of Nigeria’s most in-form players in Europe
at the moment and is coming on the back of a productive season with
Leicester, after contributing six goals and six assists.
Ndidi is also the Super Eagles’ most experienced midfielder and
seems to be one of the players that George wants to build his team
around, having started each of the 53-year-old’s first two matches
in charge.
Source link : https://www.afrik-foot.com/en-ng/wilfred-ndidi-praises-finidi-declares-war
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Publish date : 2024-05-16 07:00:00
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