The senior national team of Nigeria had their first training session yesterday ahead of the first of their final two matches in the AFCON 2022 qualifiers which is against Benin Republic.
Owngoalnigeria.com witnessed the session and picks out five things that caught our fancy during the course of the drills that lasted for one hour, forty five minutes.
Okoye Vs Uzoho Will Be The Main Battle
During the shooting drills with goalkeeper’s trainer Alloy Agu, the duo of Maduka Okoye and Francis Uzoho posted performances of two players keen on the number one spot.
Okoye has been picked as first choice ahead of the games against Benin Republic and Lesotho respectively but Uzoho isn’t letting go without a fight.
Ahmed Musa Looks “Overweight”
One thing Ahmed Musa has going for him over the years is his physical appearance as he always look very trim and fit. That is however not the case this time around.
Musa looks to have added more weight and didn’t move as expected in tight spaces maybe due to his lack of match time for three months now. He was however impressive during the sprint drill.
Ndidi Works Extremely Hard Even In Training
Wilfred Ndidi is known for his workaholic nature on the pitch during games for club and country but not much has been said about his attitude in training. Yesterday’s session revealed a lot.
He was among the top three in all of the physical exercises and he was at same level from start to the end of the session even when others appear to have ran out of steam.
Iwobi The Jester
In the absence of Kelechi Iheanacho, Everton Alex Iwobi played the role of the jester during the session. He made fun of other players and all through the session he was all smiles even when he was tackled harshly by Chidozie Awaziem.
“Shy Guy” Adekunle Adeleke
Newly invited Abia Warriors defender Adeleke Adekunle didn’t look quite comfortable mixing with the rest of the squad. He spent most of the session alone or speaking with Anayo Iwuala but during the practice game he was very lively and vocal.