Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Eric Chelle has started sending out letter of provisional invitation to players who will prosecute the upcoming Unity Cup friendly tournament in England next month, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
The coach said he will use the tournament where they are defending champions to try out fringe players, and also players who are doing well in lesser known but competitive leagues in Europe as well as players from the Nigeria Premier Football League.
Chelle’s idea is to see how certain players will perform in the absence of his regulars, who are expected to be a part of the team for the friendly games in June against Poland and Portugal respectively.
One player who hasn’t had the best of time since the appointment of the Malian is Valencia striker Sadiq Umar. He hasn’t played a game under the coach.
Ahead of the Unity Cup, he has reached his best run of form the past one year with back to back goals in the LaLiga , rescuing a point against Mallorca before scoring the second goal in the 2-1 win over Girona over the weekend.
A run that should ultimately guarantee a spot in the team for the Unity Cup, but the 29 year old isn’t thinking in that direction. ” An invitation to the Super Eagles is not what’s on my mind at the moment. It’s always a big honour when I play for Nigeria and I have done that a couple of times already to the glory of God”, Sadiq told OwnGoalNigeria.com.
” If the invitation comes to God be the glory. But it’s not something I am losing sleep over. My focus is on helping Valencia finish high up the table at the end of the season”, he stated.
Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman
