Nigeria’s preparation for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying games against South Africa and Benin has been rocked with injuries and Finidi George looks set to make more changes to his proposed squad. The newly appointed Super Eagles coach has reportedly submitted a list of 35 players to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) invited for both games, but injuries have drastically limited his options of available players.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
According to Own Goal Nigeria, Finidi looks set to amend his list as Brentford midfielder, Frank Onyeka, will reportedly be axed from the Super Eagles squad to tackle Bafana Bafana and the Squirrels.
The Premier League star has missed Brentford’s last two league games through injury, and it is alleged that the NFF has already sent out an invite to his replacement in Nigeria’s squad.
Onto the final lap 🇳🇬🦅💚#afcon2023 #thetank pic.twitter.com/ZO19cxYE6a
— Ogochukwu Frank Onyeka (@_FrankOnyeka) February 7, 2024
Onyeka was one of Nigeria’s standout performers at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations where he featured in almost all of the Super Eagles games as they secured a silver medal in the tournament.
Finidi urged to instilling discipline
Meanwhile, Peter Ijeh has urged newly appointed Super Eagles coach Findi to prioritize reshaping the national team’s character and development to be successful, Punch NG reports.
The former Nigeria forward urged the 53-year-old tactician who is on a N15 million monthly salary, to build on values like discipline, respect, sportsmanship, integrity, and perseverance in the Super Eagles.
Finidi will lead Nigeria in a competitive game for the first time when the Super Eagles host Bafana Bafana in a World Cup qualifying game on June 7 in Uyo, before traveling to Ivory Coast to take on Benin a few days later.
Finidi to axe 10 players from squad
Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Finidi will reportedly drop as many as 10 players from the Super Eagles squad to face South Africa and Benin in the World Cup qualifiers in June.
The 53-year-old was reported to have submitted a 35-man list to the NFF ahead of the game with the list set to be trimmed to 25 players by Finidi and the football body.
Samuel Chukwueze, Bruno Onyemaechi, Moses Simon, Tyrone Ebuehi, and Zaidu Sanusi are some of the Super Eagles players currently battling with injuries and most likely will miss the World Cup qualifiers.