Former Nigerian midfielder Friday Ekpo has begun considering a plan for the Super Eagles’ comeback after their recent 1-1 draw with South Africa appeared to have dampened their chances of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup the following year.
It was reported on Monday, 22nd, that Ekpo believes that the Eagles’ comeback should commence with the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, scheduled from December to January. Therefore, he asserts that a new plan must be implemented for the team.
He further emphasized that, given the World Cup qualification may already be out of reach for the Eagles, they should utilize the remaining qualifying matches to initiate their preparations for the AFCON.
Ekpo proposed, “We should use our last two games of the World Cup qualifiers in October to identify the promising players we can incorporate.
Once we complete that, we can start inviting home-based players to join the foreign-based ones.”
Also Read: Victor Osimhen Finally Returns to Galatasaray Training
The former creative midfielder, who was a key player in Nigeria’s bronze-winning squad at the Senegal ’92 AFCON, went on to highlight that there will be limited time after the final World Cup qualifier for preparations leading up to the continental tournament in Morocco.
Ekpo remarked, “We have October/November before the Nations Cup competition. Thus, we will have less than 40 days for this preparation, as they will still be engaged with their respective clubs.
We should then invite those who are starting games for their clubs, not those who come off the bench or play only the last five minutes. We need to take this and many other factors into account.”
He concluded by stating that the Eagles require a mix of new players alongside some veterans to combine youthful energy with experience, thereby strengthening the team once more.
”We should explore other players who are performing well with their clubs so that we can include them. We need to start integrating young players and assess their capabilities.
