The agent of former golden boy of English Championship Watford Emmanuel Dennis says his decision not to honour the opportunity of playing for Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2021 is largely why he is presently struggling at club level, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
In 2021, the 26 year old famously snubbed the chance of playing for Nigeria at the AFCON preferring to stay with his team Watford where he was simply on fire scoring goals for fun, however the goals weren’t sufficient enough to keep them in the English Premier League.
Following their relegation to the Championship he was sold to Nottingham Forest but after a season, a loan to Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir was agreed just before the start of the season but six months later it was terminated.
He rejoined Watford in the January transfer window as he bids to recapture the form that made him a firm fan favourite at the club. His ex agent says he made a huge mistake not representing Nigeria at the tournament in Egypt.
” He (Dennis) was on fire at that time. So some people around him told him to not leave for the AFCON saying it could derail his rise, he believed them but from that time till the end of the season he only scored one goal. I really felt he would have given himself a reputation of an international star if he had gone to that tournament, such kind of reputation protects a player even at club level”, he told OwnGoalNigeria.com.
” The move to Forest didn’t work and no one wasted time in asking him to leave on loan, the can’t do that with Taiwo Awoniyi who used his club form to solidify his international reputation. Dennis made a mistake which has set him back”, he further stated.
On reports that the players indiscipline played a part in his recent struggles, the agent said it’s not true as he has turned a whole new leaf at least the past one year. ” We don’t work together but I can tell you the reports about him are positive. He is well loved by ex Forest’s boss Steve Cooper and the boys. Nothing in that report is true”.
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman
