Former Nigeria international defender Efe Ambrose says Trabzonspor defender Chibuike Nwaiwu didn’t play like he was making his debut for the Super Eagles in the 2-1 win over Iran at the ongoing four team invitational tournament in Turkey, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
Nwaiwu was called up as a late replacement for the injured Calvin Bassey, forcing him to cut short his visit to his former team Wolfsberger in Austria. He trained just once before yesterday’s game.
Head coach Eric Chelle saw enough to introduce him for Semi Ajayi, and the 22 year old who moved to Turkey in the January transfer window didn’t look out of place.
His performance caught the attention of Ambrose, who won AFCON 2013 with Nigeria and he said the lanky defender didn’t play with any nerves.
” It’s normal for a player to show nerves in his first game in a senior shirt but that wasn’t the case with the tall defender (Nwaiwu). This is a performance he should be proud about as a good start but now is the time to continue to work hard”, he said in an exclusive chat.
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman
