Alex Ndace
When it comes to youth football, Nigeria is highly looked up to – a
mix of talent,, hard work, talent and commitment – that’s the barrier between Nigerian youngsters and their foreign counterparts. Sparingly, only few of them arrive at the summit of glory and recognition. This season was no surprise as some notable Nigerian young players made names in their respective leagues. In no particular, order here are some of them:
IGBOUN SLY
NFF and its selectors have shunned Sly and will continue to if his agents do not speak for him. Igboun Sly’s versatility could be an asset for the Super Eagles. He scored more than nine goals in 25+ appearances for FC Ufa in the Russian top flight. He is also an effective dribbler.
TAMMY ABRAHAM
The talented and big forward has been snubbed by both his parent club Chelsea and Nigeria. At Aston Villa, he found the back of the net 25+ times in the English championship side.
HENRY ONYEKURU
The Everton loanee scored 13+ goals for Galatasaray in the Turkish League. He also contributed 3 assists and that has earned him a place in Rohr’s tea for the upcoming AFCON. He can be patchy sometimes as he scored only twice between August and December.
SAMUEL CHUKWUEZE
It has been a big year for the youngster. The left-footed dribbler and winger has been in dazzling for this season and created any chances for Villareal CF especially, his performance against Barcelona in which the latter came back from two goals down. He scored 5 goals and assisted twice last season in La Liga. The wonderkid was named in Rohr’s tea for the upcoming AFCON even amidst rumours of his representation in the U-20 World Cup.
WILFRED NDIDI
The sky is big for Ndidi to soar high after he equalled Victor Moses and Joseph Yobo’s records in the Premier League. He has improved and he has done so season after season. His record of tackles per game is second next to Idrissa Gueye. He is set to be the building key in Rohr’s team during the AFCON.
