English Premier League side Nottingham Forest presented another angle to why Emmanuel Dennis fail to honour a call up to replace Henry Onyekuru in the senior national team of Nigeria.

Dennis was initially not in the list of invited players ahead of the Super Eagles upcoming friendly game against Algeria, but with injury knocking Henry Onyekuru out of the team, he was drafted in as a replacement for the Turkey based forward.

He however didn’t turn up and even when the official handle of the Super Eagles on social media listed the players still expected in camp, his name was conspicuously missing with no excuse given for it.

Yesterday, the official website of the newly promoted English Premier League side released a statement on all their players on international duty and in the part where they acknowledge the call up of Taiwo Awoniyi to the Nigerian team, they also reported that Dennis is presently injured hence won’t honour the call up.

“Taiwo Awoniyi has both been called up to the Nigeria squad for their friendly against Algeria on Tuesday 27th September, 8pm kick-off UK time. Emmanuel Dennis, meanwhile, has withdrawn due to injury”, reads the statement

The senior national team of Nigeria will prosecute their two friendly games against the A and B team of Algeria respectively with 24 players, Ow AnnnGoalNigeria.comcan exclusively reveal.

Nigeria’s first game against Algeria will be played on the 23rd against the B team of Algeria before taking on the main team on the 27th. Ahead of the game the official list of players called by Jose Peseiro has been amended thrice.

All of the changes were made after injury ruled out players called for the games. One of the players called up as a replacement has however turned down the invitation per what we exclusively gathered from sources close to the team.

Emmanuel Dennis who was called up as a replacement for the injured Henry Onyekuru rejected the call hence the reason why he isn’t even listed among the players who are yet to arrive camp by the official social media handles of the team.

No explanation was given for his decision not to honor the call but there are hints that he felt unhappy that he was left out of the initial list. The Nottingham Forest man has a long history of disciplinary issues at club and country.

The senior national team of Nigeria have opened their camp in Algeria ahead of the much publicized September 27th friendly game against Algeria in Oran.

While that game has dominated discussions and also all talks, the team will however play another game in the same country on Friday. This time around against players picked from various teams in the Algerian league.

Algeria will host the next Africa Nations Championship popularly called CHAN and they need the game to test the level of preparedness of their team who are keen to win the tournament as hosts.

Legendary Algeria defender Madjid Bougherra. The Nigerian team have already arrived at Algeria and will hold their first training session this evening with the 18 players in camp. Six players are still not in the camp as at the time of this report.

As at the time of filing in this report all but six players are yet to hit the camp of the team and it includes the duo of Savior Godwin and Ebube Duru who were both handed late call up to be a part of the team.

Kelechi Iheanacho, Francis Uzoho, Adebayo Adeleye and Ademola Lookman are the other players yet to arrive the camp of the team per information from the official social media handles of the team.

18 players in camp. Okoye, Ekong, Omeruo, Awaziem, Aina, Bassey, Sanusi, Akpoguma, Ozornwafor, Ndidi, Onyeka, Iwobi, Onyedika, Simon, Awoniyi, Ejuke, Dessers, Moffi. Expected: Uzoho, Adebayo, Duru, Saviour, Iheanacho, Lookman

When Belgium side Union SG decided to spend a record €2m to sign Nigerian forward Victor Boniface from Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt, a lot of people wondered the rationale behind it.

The fee made the 21 year old the most expensive purchase ever by the modest Belgium side meaning the pressure to hit the ground running was heavy on the forward. He has however taken to it like duck to water.

Prior to moving to Union SG, he scored four goals in five games for Bodø/Glimt in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers. He hasn’t slowed down on that form with his new team in the Europa League he has a goal and assist in two group games.

In the league he scored six goals in 15 games in the Norwegian league before crossing over to Belgium, where he presently has two goals and one assist in six games. In 29 games for the two teams he has played for this season he has scored 16 goals and also has five assists in all competitions.

Comfortable as the main striker or just behind the main forward, his combination of power, pace and skills have made him a feared force in Belgium in just a short time. He is also very composed when in the box and clearly knows when to go for goal or give a pass.

Boniface trained with the 2019 Nigeria U20 team but injury robbed him of the chance to make the team to the World Cup. However if he can keep his present form, a call up to the senior national team of Nigeria will no doubt be on the cards.

The list of invited players for the senior national team of Nigeria upcoming international friendly game against Algeria was made public on Saturday with three goalkeepers named in the squad.

Jose Peseiro picked Francis Uzoho, Maduka Okoye and Adebayo Adeleye as the three goalkeepers for the game on the 27th of September. It will be his fifth game sinve he was appointed coach of the Nigerian team.

One area which has been of concern to the Portuguese is the goalkeeping department where the preferred first and second choice are not having regular run of games at their respective teams.

Uzoho who has kept in all of the games under the Portuguese has only played one game in the league and had a 45 minute substitute appearance in the Europa League for his team Omonia Nicosia. Since joining the team last summer he has failed to displace Fabiano as the first choice of the team.

Okoye was prime to be the first choice goalkeeper of English Championship side Watford when he was signed for a huge fee from Sparta Rotterdam. However that hasn’t been the case so far. He has only kept goal in one game which is the Carabao Cup defeat to MK Dons.

Austrian goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann is the first choice of the team while Okoye rotates the second choice role with veteran goalkeeper Ben Hamer. They have both taken their turn on the bench for league games.

Their predicament is in sharp contrast with that of Adeleye who has started the season on a high with Israeli side Hapoel Katamon. He has kept goal in all of their three games with two clean sheets to his name. Simply put he is the only regular among the trio.

The 22 year old former Nigeria U17 goalkeeper comes into this game match fit and in prime position to stake a claim for the number one spot of the team, even though he is yet to be capped at this level for Nigeria.

As many as 18 players have arrived the vamp of the senior national team of Nigeria ahead of this weekend international friendly game against Algeria in Oran.

Led by head coach of the team Jose Peseiro, most of the invited players based abroad converged in Paris where they connected a flight to Algeria. Croatia based Chidozie Awaziem was however the first to arrive the camp of the team.

As at the time of filing in this report all but six players are yet to hit the camp of the team and it includes the duo of Savior Godwin and Ebube Duru who were both handed late call up to be a part of the team.

Kelechi Iheanacho, Francis Uzoho, Adebayo Adeleye and Ademola Lookman are the other players yet to arrive the camp of the team per information from the official social media handles of the team.

18 players in camp. Okoye, Ekong, Omeruo, Awaziem, Aina, Bassey, Sanusi, Akpoguma, Ozornwafor, Ndidi, Onyeka, Iwobi, Onyedika, Simon, Awoniyi, Ejuke, Dessers, Moffi. Expected: Uzoho, Adebayo, Duru, Saviour, Iheanacho, Lookman

The captain of the senior national team of Nigeria Ahmed Musa won’t be part of the team when they take on Algeria in an intentional friendly game on Saturday in Oran as first reported by OwnGoalNigeria.com.

Musa picked up an injury while on duty for his club Sivasspor and after scans yesterday, it was discovered that he suffered a fracture in his left arm hence won’t be honoring the invitation by Nigeria for the game against Algeria.

The coach of the Nigerian team Jose Peseiro has moved smartly to replace him with Casa Pia winger Savior Godwin, it is his first call up to the senior national team of Nigeria. He was voted the best player in the Portuguese second division after helping his team to promotion to the top division.

26 year old Godwin who was a part of the 2013 Nigeria U17 and also 2015 U20 team, has so far played all seven games for Casa Pia this season with two goals to his name. His team is sixth on the league table. Prior to joining the Portuguese side last season he was at Belgium side KV Roeselare.

The list of players called up by coach of the Nigerian team Jose Peseiro for the friendly game against Algeria on the 27th of September, has been altered again following the withdrawal of some players.

Peseiro released a 25 man list for the game but so far as many as six players have been forced out due to injury and two more were ruled out in the last 24 hours. The captain of the team Ahmed Musa and Villarreal winger Samuel Chukwueze are the latest two to pull out of the game.

The injured duo have been replaced by the duo of Savior Godwin of Portuguese side Casa Pia and Ebube Duru of Nigeria Professional Football League champions Rivers United. Both players are expected to join the team by tomorrow at their training camp.

A left back who got his first chance with the Nigerian B team four years ago when he played in the friendly game against Atletico Madrid, Duru worked this way into the heart of the Portuguese coach with a strong performance for the home base Eagles in their recent CHAN qualifiers.

Despite their failure to make it to the tournament after losing via spot kicks to Ghana, he stood out in the return leg which was watched by Peseiro hence the decision to hand him a chance.

26 year old Godwin who was a part of the 2013 Nigeria U17 and also 2015 U20 team, has so far played all seven games for Casa Pia this season with two goals to his name. His team is sixth on the league table. Prior to joining the Portuguese side last season he was at Belgium side KV Roeselare. He was voted the best player in the Portuguese second division last season after leading his team to promotion to the top division

The present first choice goalkeeper of English Premier League side Gavin Bazunu was in the frame to represent Nigeria few years ago before he made his senior international bow for Ireland.

20 year old Bazunu who is of Nigerian descent has ten caps for the senior team of Ireland fully establishing himself as the first choice of the team stepping up from the U17 through the U21. However he was in the frame to represent Nigeria before his debut.

A former coach of the senior national team of Nigeria revealed he told Rohr about Bazunu who was then 18 year old and was at Manchester City U23.  Bazunu’s parent were also not against the switch and convinced their son to take the chance.

According to the coach, the information was passed to Rohr but around that time he has already met Maduka Okoye, who came highly recommended hence showed no desire to follow up even when he visited the United Kingdom.

A call came from the Irish team and he accepted it and with his recent position as first choice of Southampton his position in his national team is secured as long as he keeps his spot.

The list of players who will represent Nigeria in Saturday’s friendly game against Algeria have been made public by coach of the team Jose Peseiro.

In the list, there was a first time call up for Raphael Onyedika of Belgium side Club Brugge but the main talk in the list was the decision to hand a recall to several players who have been out of the squad for a while.

Top of the list is Hoffenheim defender Kevin Akpoguma who famously turned down the chance to be at the Africa Cup of Nations after getting a late call up to replace the Injured Leon Balogun.

He demanded to be a regular which he wasn’t given any form of guarantee by then interim coach Austine Eguavoen. He hasn’t gotten a look in since then until Saturday when his name was in the 25 man list.

The decision to hand a recall to the 27 year old was reached in agreement with Eguavoen, whom we understand suggested his inclusion on the strength of the fact that no Nigerian defender has played more games than him since the start of the year.

Excited by his game time, Peseiro got across to him and promised him a fair chance to stake a claim in the team for a regular berth. It was on the strength of those words that he decided to renege on his decision to quit international football.