Eric Chelle, Nigeria’s Super Eagles coach, faces what looks to be a selection headache as two members of his 23-man squad list have picked up injuries ahead of the must-win matches against Rwanda and Zimbabwe.
According to reports, Bayer Leverkusen forward Nathan Tella was injured on Tuesday night in the team’s 2-0 defeat to Bayern Munich, which saw them get knocked out of the UEFA Champions League.
Chelle quickly called up the defender, Jordan Torunarigha, to replace the injured Nathan Tella in the 23-man squad. The 27-year-old Torunarigha currently plays for the Belgian side, Gent.
However, all is not well for the Super Eagles gaffer, as news about another injured forward/winger, Moses Simon, not being available to play may have scuffled his plans to defeat the Amavubi of Rwanda come March 21.
Simon continues to struggle with a fractured fibula, which has put him on a limited training basis with his club, FC Nantes. His coach Antoine Kombouare confirmed this in an article hosted on Ouest-France, which translated to English states:
“He hasn’t trained all week. He stayed in the gym Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, but he did the session today.
“His ankle is still hurting. There’s obviously some concern. We’re managing that, but for him, it’s complicated.”
Moses Simon is a key member of Nigeria’s Super Eagles team, and his absence will surely be felt, especially as he poses a threat to opposition defenders from the wings.
Football experts are suggesting that Eric Chelle should include a like for like in the squad list, which means replacing Moses Simon with Ahmed Musa, who is the team’s captain and most experienced player for the Super Eagles.
Ayodeji Ismail, a Nigerian football journalist, has said that Eric Chelle needs to do the right thing by including the 32-year-old team captain into the team to give them the wealth of experience needed to thrive against their opponents, as he currently does so with Kano Pillars.
Ismail said, “This is an opportunity for Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle to redeem himself and include Ahmed Musa in the squad. It would be unfair for the coach to replace the position of a winger with a defender or another top striker.
“When Ahmed Musa was excluded from the 23-man list, there was a significant uproar because the former CSKA Moscow player is a leader, the most capped player, and his influence cannot be overlooked.”
“Musa is 32 years old and still active in the Nigeria Premier Football League. He has been performing for Kano Pillars and is an ambassador for our local league. He is currently one of the most marketable players in the country, and his recall would be a major boost.”
Nigerians look on to see who Eric Chelle Picks as a replacement for Simon Moses who keeps battling his injuries.
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