Super Eagles head coach Austin Eguavoen is confident in the 35-Men CHAN squad he and his technical team have assembled, explaining the thorough selection process that assessed each player’s contribution to the team.
Eguavoen spoke to Brila.net from the team’s training camp in Abuja about the selection system and that his coaching staff worked closely to choose the best talents for the upcoming CHAN qualifiers against Ghana.
He stated that all his assistants are coaches who are familiar with the Nigerian League where the players were selected from.
“I watched a lot of games, and our goalkeeper coach is in the league.”
“Remo’s coach, Daniel Ogunmodede, is in the league as well. Ilechukwu is also in the league. He’s in Rangers. They’ve watched these boys, not just this season but for a long time. And I’ve been in the league also, remember? I covered the games I could, and the ones I couldn’t, my coaches covered.”
Eguavoen explained that the selection involved insights from both his assistants and other league coaches.
“I took their recommendations. I even reached out to scouts and coaches from other teams who aren’t in the national team now. We compared their insights with what we saw, and we’re all aligned on the selections.”
As the team begins preparations for the two-legged showdown against Ghana in December, Eguavoen is focused on securing a ticket to the CHAN tournament.
“We are going to work hard, like we’ve been working hard. We’ll try to make sure we get a ticket for China,” he concluded.
Full List of 35-Men Invited Players
Goalkeepers:
Ohisodumeya Osagie (Rivers United), Henry Ozomena (Enyimba FC), Mohammed Galadima (Nasarawa United).
Defenders:
Wisdom Ndom (Akwa United), Stephen Mayo (Rivers United), Ifeanyi Onyebuchi (Enugu Rangers), Ismail Sadiq (Remo Stars), Yusuf Isa (Bayelsa United), Abba Maigari (El-Kanemi Warriors), Taiwo Abdulrafiu (Rivers United), Kabiru Mohammed (Kwara United), Junior Nduka (Remo Stars), Victor Collins (Nasarawa United), Abbas Usman (El-Kanemi Warriors).
Midfielders:
Innocent Godwin (Abia Warriors), Jide Fatokun (Remo Stars), Musa Zayad (El-Kanemi Warriors), Saviour Isaac (Enugu Rangers), Eze Ekwutoziam (Enyimba FC), Aimufua Aisosa (Kwara United), Tochukwu Michael (Remo Stars), Ifeanyi Assurance (Lobi Stars), Kazeem Ogunleye (Enugu Rangers), Seth Mayi (Sunshine Stars), Stanley Oganbor (Lobi Stars), Meyiwa Oritseweyimi (Bendel Insurance), Toyeeb Gidado (Ikorodu City).
Forwards:
Samuel Ayorinde (Shooting Stars), Anas Yusuf (Nasarawa United), Abdul Sanusi (El-Kanemi Warriors), Sikiru Alimi (Remo Stars), Abubakar Adamu (Plateau United), Rabiu Zikifilu (Kano Pillars), Temitope Vincent (Plateau United), Michael Enaruma (Bendel Insurance).
