The senior national team of Nigeria have two major injury concerns as they build up to the start of the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup which begins on the 3rd of September with a game at home against Liberia.

Coach Gernot Rohr is warming up to the possibility of not having the services of two of his most trusted lieutenants in Joe Aribo of Scottish side Rangers and Samuel Chukwueze of Villarreal.

Aribo is still struggling to be fully fit after ending last season with an injury. He was in and out of the team for pre season games and despite playing in the first league game of the season he was conspicuously missing from the squad for the UEFA Champions League qualifiers 1-2 loss to Malmo.

Coach of his team Steven Gerrard explained after the game that the 25 year old missed the game due to injury and it was why he was substituted in the 3-0 league win over Livingstone which was their first competitive game of the season.

Chukwueze is also yet to resume full training with Villarreal as he is yet to recover from the injury that brought his season to an early end last term out. He is almost certainly out of the UEFA Super Cup clash against Chelsea on Wednesday.

Nigeria have less than a month to the game against Liberia and Rohr will no doubt be worried about the duo as they will likely even miss the second game against Cape Verde which is three days after the Liberia game.

Italian Serie A side Napoli prove they can cope without their Nigerian star Victor Osimhen as they ran out 2-1 winners over Polish side Wisla Krakow in yesterday’s pre season game.

Osimhen who has scored seven goals in four pre season games so far including a brace against Bayern Munich over the weekend was given a rest by coach Luciano Spalleti for the game in Poland.

Matteo Politano and Zinedine Machach who scored the third goal against Bayern Munich were the goal scorers in yesterday’s comeback win against the Polish side making light work of the absence of the Nigerian.

Last season Napoli struggled for goals when Osimhen wasn’t available and it appears Spalleti want to forestall a reoccurrence by trying to set up his team without the Nigerian.

One key factor can also be the fact that he won’t be available for some games in January as he will be at the Africa Cup of Nations with the senior national team of Nigeria in Cameroon.

Akwa United and Super Eagles B defender Olisa Ndah has arrived South Africa where he will undergo trials with top PSL side Orlando Pirates, OwnGoalNigeria.com understands.

Ndah was pivotal in helping Akwa United lift the Nigeria Professional League title with a game to spare after their 5-2 win over MFM in Uyo at the weekend.

His departure is why he won’t be playing in today’s dead rubber game in Makurdi against Lobi Stars as his trials will begin tomorrow base on scoops gathered by our editorial team.

Rated as one of the best in the NPFL for the past two seasons he was a part of the Nigeria U23 team that crashed out at the group stages of the Africa U23 Cup of Nations tournament in 2019.

Same year he played for the Nigerian B team that also failed to make it to the CHAN and WAFU championship losing out in the qualifiers. Most recently he was a part of the B team who were trashed 4-0 by Mexico in an international friendly.

Coach of the senior national team of Nigeria has explained why he prefers playing players based abroad as opposed to players playing in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).

Some section of the Nigerian media have criticize the coach severally for his preference for majorly players plying their trade in Europe as they believe the local lads should be given a chance to stake a claim in the team.

Rohr has called up lot of players based in the Nigerian local league but bar goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa and when captain Ahmed Musa was at Kano Pillars for a while, he is yet to play any other in a competitive game since he became coach in 2016.

While defending his decision, Rohr explained that players playing in the NPFL need to be better than those in their position before they can be given in a look in. He also explained he mainly call up young players to encourage them.

“Of course I will invite local players if they were better than their foreign-based counterparts. That’s why we invite younger players from the local league to encourage them and when we have friendlies, we test them.”

Genk of Belgium forward Paul Onuachu has for the first time spoken out about his future at Belgium club Genk where he scored 35 goals last season to emerge as the most valuable players and also top scorer in the league.

He was largely expected to have been sold even before the start of the qualifiers for the UEFA Champions League but the price tag placed on him has made it impossible for interested teams to sign him.

Coach of Genk who dropped their lanky forward for their weekend game against Kvv Oostende claimed the transfer speculation has made the 26 year old to lose focus. He was however back in the team from the start against Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers.

He responded with the opening goal of the game before the Ukrainians fought back to claim a 1-2 win. Shortly after the game , the Nigeria international was asked about his future at the club with West Ham, the team that has shown the most desire to sign him.

“ I just played a game. That shows that I am still 100 percent at Genk. I try to have an impact on the team and just stay here for the time being,” it said to Het Laatste Nieuws

Almeria of Spain had their last season top scorer Sadiq Umar to thank as they secure a morale boosting 2-1 win over Real Betis in a pre season game.

Sadiq is still expected to leave the second division side before the end of the transfer window in August and Real Betis is among the team interested in signing the 24 year old who is rated at €30 million.

Yesterday he showed the club why signing him won’t be a bad idea with his two goals in the 10th and 30th minute respectively. He used almost same technique for both goals using his pace to get behind before slotting home with the calmness that made him a hit last season.

He is expected to make the squad of the senior national team of Nigeria for the start of the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in September, and he will be hoping to honor the call after failing to twice due to club commitments.

Watford continued their build up to the new season with a comprehensive 4-0
win over Doncaster Rovers in a pre season game.

On loan Nigerian midfielder Oghenekaro Peter Etebo opened scoring for newly promoted English Premier League side with a fierce shot five minutes into the game.

Goals from Troy Deeney and Dan Gosling ensures the Hornets go into the half time break with a 3-0 lead before Ashley Fletcher added a fourth to seal the win.

Etebo’s Super Eagles teammate William Troost-Ekong was on for the entire duration of the game just like Etebo. Two of the other Nigerians at the club got game time as well.

Tom Dele Bashiru was subbed on after the first 45 minutes with Emmanuel Dennis coming around same time but he was surprisingly subbed off after eight minutes.

Isacc Success wasn’t given a run out with rumors of his intending loan move to Udinese set to be close to happening as he seeks a way back to relaunch what was once a promising career.

FC Slutsk of Belarus have officially signed little known Nigerian forward Maxwell Sani from Global Academy based in Zaria city, Kaduna state.

The fleet footed forward impressed scouts of the team during a scouting tournament in Abuja put together by popular Nigerian agent Babawo Mohammed two months ago.

18 year old Sani was outstanding for the Zaria side with his pace, tricks and eye for goals proving to be a constant menace all through the days his team played in the tournament.

As many as six teams signified their interest in signing him but the Belarusian side where the first to firm up their interest with a bid and he yesterday signed a short term deal according to reports.

He will play with the club for the remaining games of the ongoing season in Belarus with the club having the option of turning what is at this stage a loan deal to a four year deal if they decide to sign him permanently.

Victor Osimhen has been denied the chance to add to his pre season goal count of seven goals in four games following the decision of coach Luciano Spalleti to drop him from today’s friendly game against Wisla Krakow.

The Nigerian was in devastating form against Bayern Munich over the weekend scoring a brace in a 3-1 win. Many were hoping to see him extend his scoring run later today.

That won’t be the case as Spalleti has decided to leave the forward behind at the club’s training ground, a decision he took after yesterday’s training which many said is to help the forward get some rest.

Osimhen is seen by Spalleti as one of his most important player going into the new season and he want to keep the Nigerian fresh for their Serie A campaign which begin later this month.

The coach expects him to score more than the ten goals he scored last season as he is a fitter than last year where injuries, a failed covid 19 test and fitness issues cost him game time.

Sparta Rotterdam and Nigeria international goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has signed a new four year deal which will keep him at the club till the summer of 2025, the club has announced.

21 year old Okoye who was signed from German side Fortuna Düsseldorf rose to rank of first choice at the Dutch side and according to the club it’s why he has been given fresh terms.

“A year ago we hired Maduka, because we thought he was a great talent’, Henk van Stee said to the club’s official website .

“Last season he proved us right. With ten clean sheets in 28 games, he contributed to the club’s eighth place finish and was even voted Player of the Season by the supporters. He made great strides last season, he is also the first choice goalkeeper of the Nigerian national team.

“Obviously this meant there was a lot of interest in him, but we both had the intention to continue longer and are very happy that we are extending his contract”, he concluded.

On his part Okoye who has eight caps for the senior national team of Nigeria said he made a move to the club to cement his spot as first choice of the Nigerian team by becoming the first choice of the club.

‘When I signed with Sparta, I did so with clear goals. I wanted to develop further and become the first goalkeeper in the Eredivisie and for the Super Eagles. So after the first season I can’t help but be satisfied, but I’m certainly not done here yet”, he said.

“I really enjoy my time at Sparta and I feel appreciated by my teammates and the supporters. In my first year I have already experienced many beautiful moments here, I hope that next season, at a full castle, we will add even more moments.’