Following the decision of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to stick with Gernot Rohr as coach ahead of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, OwnGoalNigeria.com takes a look at five players who will likely be out of favour at the tournament.
Top of the list is Watford defender William Troost Ekong with sources close to the coach of the opinion that his poor form during the qualifiers accounted for the pressure the coach survived only recently.
He was culpable for the defeat they suffered against Central Africa Republic (CAR) in Lagos with his indecisiveness leading to a mix up with Leon Balogun that led to the only goal in favour of the visitors.
Ekong was also the man at fault for the leveller scored by Cape Verde in Lagos three weeks ago which brought about a nervy end to the game which Nigeria were prime to coast through after scoring very early into the game. His spot is up for grabs despite his role as vice captain.
We also gathered that Rohr is fed up with Paul Onuachu and is looking at alternatives to the lanky forward who has failed to match his club form in the national team. It was the lack of trust that made him persuade Odion Ighalo to quit his retirement from international football.
To make matters worst, Onuachu who ended last season with 34 goals is struggling to find same height in Belgium this season at Genk. He has been in and out of the team the past seven games.
Samuel Kalu is another who is struggling to win back the trust of the manager. Kalu’s lack of game time at Bordeaux has a lot to do with his predicament with the Nigeria national team with CSKA Moscow flying winger Chidera Ejuke now ahead of him in the pecking order.
Leganes defender Kenneth Omeruo is seen as one of the senior players in the Super Eagles team and a well behaved professional. However Rohr’s unwillingness to hand him a permanent spot all through the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup means his spot at the AFCON isn’t guaranteed.
We also gathered that on loan Benfica defender Tyronne Ebuehi is not seen as an option by the German coach with Kevin Akpoguma now seen as a better option due to his ability to play in central defence and as a right back.
Akpoguma is having a stellar season at Hoffenheim and despite Ebuehi not doing badly at Venezia, Rohr according to sources don’t see him in his plans for the Africa Cup of Nations.