5th June, 2015
Super Eagles Head Coach, Stephen Keshi, says players of the national Under-20 team, the Flying Eagles, can make the senior team if they are determined.
Keshi said this in Abuja on Thursday after his team’s training at the National Stadium Abuja in preparation for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Chad scheduled on June 13 in Kaduna.
He told newsmen that the under-20 players could graduate to the Super Eagles if they maintained the form they had achieved in their present Flying Eagles.
“It’s about after this tournament what happens to the players? As Flying Eagles player, you dream to play in the senior team.
“Are they ready; if they leave the tournament what will they be doing, what is their concentration level, what is the desire to go forward or to remain where they are.
“It’s difficult to say but if they stay and focus as a football player or their chosen career, I think it’s a bright future for Nigeria football.”
Keshi urged the Flying Eagles to be disciplined to enable them get to the final of the ongoing Under-20 World Cup in New Zealand.
NAN reports that Keshi drilled the Super Eagles for the Chad encounter in company of his assistants.
Geoffrey Oboabona, Kenneth Omeruo, Kingsley Madu and Rabiu Ibrahim joined the Super Eagles training after beating the June 3 deadline given to them by the coach to arrive camp.
Their arrival swelled the number of foreign-based players in camp to 13, excluding Aaron Samuel and Ahmed Musa, who had the permission of the coach to arrive later because of `some peculiar factors’.
Nine foreign-based players, including Leon Balogun, Ogenyi Onazi, Odion Ighalo, John Ogu, Steve Ukoh, William Troost-Ekong, Babatunde Michael and Anderson Esiti had arrived the team’s camp on June 2.
The 13 foreign-based players trained with the four home-based in camp after quartet of Azubuike Egwuekwe, Daniel Akpeyi, Solomon Kwambe and Gbolahan Salami left the team’s camp on Wednesday to join their teammates for their continental engagement.
They are expected to feature in Wolves against AC Leopards of Congo Brazzaville, in the Cup play-off second leg of CAF Confederation match on Saturday at the Warri City Stadium.