Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Eric Chelle took a bold decision with the inclusion of Viktoria Plzen of Czech Republic forward Rafiu Durosinmi in his 28 man list for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Morocco, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
The decision to include the 22 year old came after the world cup qualifiers playoff, where Chelle was left unimpressed with the contribution of Jerome Akor and Tolu Arokodare with Victor Osimhen going off injured in the first half against Dr Congo.
Chelle went in search of a forward with pace and also a proven record of scoring goals. That was where Durosinmi came in as recommended by a scout who have been tracking the forward for a while.
Quick, strong, skilful and deadly in the box, Chelle wasted no time in settling for the forward despite receiving other recommendations from his scouting team.
Two years ago, Durosinmi had everything sorted out to join German Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt but suffered a serious knee injury that kept him out for a year and also claimed the deal.
His story played a large role in Chelle’s decision to give him a serious look especially his goal return since making his way back to full fitness this season.
This season he has found the back of the net 12 times in 22 games. A run that includes two goals in five games in Europa League. Six in the Czech League , two in UEFA Champions League qualifiers and two in the Czech Cup.
It is expected that he will move up as the backup option to Osimhen at the tournament, with his debut likely to come in the friendly game against Egypt on the 16th of December.
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman
