Synagogue's Emma Dazzles Lazio Coach

Sani Emmanuel

•Sani Emmanuel

Former Golden Eaglets star, Sani Emmanuel is set to hit it big in the Serie A.

•ON THE RISE...Sani Emmanuel finally had his debut match for Lazio last weekend.

Emmanuel, who grabbed the headlines at the Nigeria 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup, emerging the MVP of the tournament, as well as the joint highest scorer, impressed the coach and fans of Lazio during his debut match last weekend.

A product of Pastor T.B. Joshua’s charitable youth academy ‘My People FC’ of Lagos, Emmanuel recently signed a professional contract with SS Lazio in Italy.

He did not just perform brilliantly in the second team of the Biancocelesti, who played a 1-1 draw against Lecce on Saturday, the palyer also worked hard by impressing Lazio’s youth team coach, Alberto Bollini, who praised him after the tie.

While expressing satisfaction with Emmanuel’s display during his post-match comments, coach Bollini said: “I can see a great future ahead of this young player. Emmanuel was introduced in the 67th minute for Lazio, and the player gave a good account of himself.

”He was a great substitution. I was confident because I had seen him in training. In this team, there are first team players and reserves. He started playing today and I can see that a player like him has given us many options and solutions on the offensive front.

“However, Emmanuel has a problem of adapting to the Italian language, but he is a player who definitely will be useful to us,” Bollini added.

The ex-Golden Eaglets star and his colleague from Our People FC, Eddy Onazi, also a former Eaglets star, played in each half of Saturday’s match so they could be fresh for Lazio’s first team match against Napoli yesterday.

Both players have been in the news ever since their successful run with the Golden Eaglets in the U-17 World Cup in 2009 and their subsequent trials with Premiership giants Chelsea and Tottenham.

Before the players settled for Lazio, speculation was rife over where Emmanuel and Onazi would end up, with reported interest from several major European clubs.

“I have told Bollini why Emmanuel and Onazi were promoted into the Lazio first team. They have been impressive and have to move up though the players have just spent a short time with us,” Lazio coach Edoardo Reja said when he listed them in Lazio’s starting line up ahead of yesterday’s encounter with Napoli.

 

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