Nigeria youth international Taiwo Awoniyi has made a call to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to push for Dutch-Nigerian forward Arnaut Groeneveld Danjuma.

Awoniyi who is on loan to NEC Nijmegen from English Premier League giants Liverpool is teammate to the 20 year old forward who was born in Nigeria to a Dutch mother and a Nigerian father.

The Former PSV youth teamer has made four appearances for NEC Nijmegen in the league, but Awoniyi say he has seen enough of him in training to judge his abilities.

” He ( Arnaut) is a great talent. I hope he plays for Nigeria ahead of the Netherlands. We train together on a regular so I know what he can do. He is a prospect we can’t afford to lose”, Awoniyi told Owngoalnigeria.com.

” On my part I have done my bit in making him see the advantage in playing for Nigeria. What is left is for the NFF to make it official”.

Former boss of Manchester City Manuel Pellegrini who is now the head coach of Chinese side Hebei China Fortune has spoken out about his plans to sign some players he has worked with in the past.

Pellegrini who gave Nigerian forward Kelechi Iheanacho his breakthrough at Manchester City last season, listed the Nigerian as part of the players he would love to work with at the Chinese club in the future.

Although the Nigerian has found games hard to come by under new City boss Pep Guardiola, Pellegrini insist the 20 year old forward is very happy at the Etihad.

” I have worked with a whole lot of players, but some I feel I won’t love working with them in the nearest future but I won’t mind luring some to join me in China,” Pellegrini said.

” The young players have worked with in the past are the ones I strongly feel we could work again before I retire, there are many like Iheanacho but I know he is very happy at Manchester City”,

Few weeks after coach of Nigeria Gernot Rohr confirmed that Dutch-Nigerian full back Tyroone Ebuehi will play for Nigeria despite being born in the Netherlands, another battle with the Dutch over Arnaut Danjuma Groenveld could happen in the future.

20 year old Groenveld was born in Lagos Nigeria but has spent the best part of his life in the Netherlands where he began his football career.

He was on the books of giants PSV Eindhoven starring regularly for their U-19s but didn’t make the grade to the first team before he was loaned out to Jong PSV.

Groeneveld wasn’t offered fresh terms by PSV, and NEC Nijmegen were quick to swoop in for the midfielder who is comfortable playing on the either flanks or as the main striker.

At international level he is yet to be capped by either Nigeria or Netherlands, but judging by his progress at NEC this season where he has made four appearances, it is now a case of when both nations will slug it out for his international future not if.

Highly rated Nigerian full back Nura Abdullahi could be the long term solution to the right back issues current bedeviling the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

Nura, who is highly rated around the corridors of Italian side AC Roma has been plagued by two serious injury since joining the Serie A side on a permanent transfer from Spezia, after a fruitful loan spell alongside his child hood friend Sadiq Umar.

However he has returned to full fitness and will mark his comeback with a game for the Primavera sie of the Rome based outfit against Crotone, which could be the spring he needs to make a first team appearance for the team.

Quick and strong in tackle, the 19 year old was heavily linked with a move to Barcelona before he suffered a minor cardiac issue last year that required surgery.

The first team coach of Roma Luciano Spalleti made reference to his return from injury during his press conference ahead of their Serie A tie against Torino, a sign of how high the club rates the defender, who at a point in time was voted the best right teen back in Italy, while at Spezia.

Coach of the Nigeria senior team Gernot Rohr is short of options at full back, particularly at right back, where he has used three different players in the three games he has handled Nigeria.

Out of the three players, the coach has used only Musa Muhammed is a natural right back but his lack of game time at Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir, means the duo of Wilfred Ndidi and Kenneth Omeruo have been deployed to his role despite their natural positions as central midfielder and defender.

Swiss born Nigerian shot stopper Sebastian Osigwe is well in line to challenge the duo of Carl Ikeme and Daniel Akpeyi for the Super Eagles number one spot.

The 22 year old shot stopper has been mentioned to coach Gernot Rohr, who has been monitoring the progress of the 22 year old shot stopper who plays for third division side SC Kriens since last year.

A mini goalkepper crisis that made late call up Daniel Akpeyi to man the post for Nigeria against Algeria, has made Rohr intensify his search for credible options to forestall a repeat.

Osigwe is first choice at promotion chasing Kriens, and despite representing Switzerland at different age levels, he is keen on playing for Nigeria at senior level, and trained with the U-20s of Nigeria in 2013 during preparations for the World Youth Championship.

The highly rated shot stopper is hoping to be called up for one of the two friendly games the Super Eagles will play next month.

Barcelona new signing Ezekiel Bassey was among the players not listed for action by coach Gerard Lopez when the B team defeated UD Cornella 2-0.

Ezekiel arrived the club on loan from Nigeria Premier League side Enyimba FC of Aba on transfer deadline day, but he is yet to make is debut 19 days after his transfer.

The 20 year old has been impressive in traning with the B team, but he is yet to be granted a work permit which will allow him play in competitive games even for the main team.

He will be issued a work permit in a few days time as exclusively reported by Owngoalnigeria.com few weeks ago, and he is expected in Nigeria next week to complete the process of his work permit application.

Wolverhampton Wanderers net minder Carl Ikeme was among the top performers for his side as they crash out of the Emirate Cup after losing 0-2 to Chelsea.

The English Premier League leaders found the Super Eagles first choice goalkepper a tough nut to crack in the first half, with the Nigerian acting as a sweeper keeper for his side when Chelsea try to play on the break.

His quickness of his line and decisiveness in dealing with crosses helped Wolves go into the half time break tied at 0-0 against a full strength Chelsea side.

However Ikeme was beaten in the second half when Spanish forward Pedro headed home a cross from Willian past the brilliant Ikeme in the 65th minute.

Wolves went forward in search of a leveller to force the tie into a replay but Chelsea were resolute in defence, with old war horse John Terry and Kourt Zouma equal to all what was thrown at them by the home side.

Chelsea top scorer Diego Costa put the game beyond the reach of Wolves with an 89th minute strike from inside the box to wrap up a comprehensive 2-0 win for the Blues.

Coach of Manchester City Pep Guardiola has revealed the reason why Kelechi Iheanacho wasn’t introduced in Manchester City 0-0 draw away to Huddersfield Town in the Emirate FA Cup.

Iheanacho was for the first time in a month included in the match day squad by Guardiola but the Nigerian watched the entire duration of the game from the bench.

” We have only one striker (Iheanacho) on the bench, but we wanted to bring in creativity in the midfield and also inject pace on the wings, that was why we didn’t introduce a striker for a striker”, he said.

” Huddersfield Town were very organised at the back and kudos to them for keeping the scores at 0-0, we go again in few days time in what will be an intresting tie”.

English Premier League Champions Leicester City were dumped out of the FA Cup by League One side Millwall courtesy of a late goal by Shaun Cummings.

Little known Nigerian midfield sensation Fred Onyedima followed up his fine performance against Watford in the previous round with another eye catching display in the midfield.

Onyedima lasted the entire duration of the game, and put up a performance which prove why he is so highly rated and sort after by top English clubs.

20 year old Onyedima wasn’t the only Nigerian on the pitch as Leicester City big money buy Ahmed Musa lasted the entire duration of the tie but failed to deliver his side from the shock cup loss.

However Wilfred Ndidi was an unused substitute in the game, as manager Claudio Ranieri rested some of his regular players ahead of their Champions League round of 16 game against Sevilla next week.

As exclusively reported by Owngoalnigeria.com Roma Nigerian teen right back Nura Abdullahi made his long awaited comeback from the injury that has kept him out since last year.

Nura suffered a setback during his recovery and was initially billed to be out for the rest of the season, but the 19 year old miraculously recovered and played 45 minutes for the Primavera side in their 5-3 win over Crotone.

Widely regarded as one of the finest young emerging full backs in Italy, his return from injury caught the attention of head coach of the main team Luciano Spalleti.

Spalleti expressed his delight at seeing the youngster back on the pitch of play during his pre match conference ahead of their Serie A tie against Torino.

” Nura returned to the Primavera team for today’s game and he came through it fine, that is one positive for us ahead of what we expect to be a tough game against Torino”, Spalleti said.