Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr will not be inviting new players for next month’s 2022 World Cup qualifiers against Liberia and Cape Verde, PUNCH Sports Extra has exclusively learnt.
The Franco-German is expected to stick with the players who secured the team’s qualification for next year’s 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
This may rule out invitations for Ademola Lookman, Ovie Ejaria and Tosin Adarabioyo who according to several reports have been cleared by FIFA to play for Nigeria, following their applications to switch allegiance from England.
Also likely to be left out is Almeria striker Sadiq Umar and Union Berlin forward Taiwo Awoniyi, who’s been in fine form since switching from Liverpool to the Bundesliga this season.
Rohr said he has good players at his disposal and wouldn’t consider bringing in any new player at the moment to disrupt the team’s chemistry.
“We have a team that we trust,” Rohr said.
“Bringing in new players to the team at this time of the season is not the best moment because we will only have one or two training sessions to prepare for a match.”
Rohr is expected to call up Victor Osimhen, Samuel Kalu, Ahmed Musa, Moses Simon, William Troost-Ekong, Wilfred Ndidi, Kelechi Iheanacho, Alex Iwobi, Maduka Okoye and Joe Aribo for the qualifiers barring any last minute hitch or injury concerns.
Tunisian side Esperance have already confirmed that their new winger Anayo Iwuala had been sent an invitation for the qualifiers as well.
“The new blood, Anayo Iwuala, is on the expanded list of #SuperEagles for the next qualifying matches for the World Cup #Qatar2022 and could be called up against Liberia and Cape Verde on September 3 and 7, 2021,” Esperance wrote on Twitter.
Nigeria will host Liberia on September 3 in Lagos before traveling to Praia to battle Cape Verde four days later.
