Pinnick: Arsene Wenger, Ex-Liverpool Manager Recommended Rohr To Nigerian Federation

Nigeria Football Federation supremo Amaju Pinnick has revealed two Frenchmen Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger and ex-Liverpool boss Gérard Houllier were contacted before the appointment of Gernot Rohr as the coach of Nigeria in August 2016.

Nigeria were forced to go in search of an expatriate manager after the draw for the third round of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers pitted the national team in the same group as Cameroon, Algeria and Zambia.

''When we saw the draw for the World Cup, we knew we were condemned [by a tough group] and we determined that we must overcome it," Pinnick said at a Nigerian Federation event attended by KweséESPN's Colin Udoh.

"The first thing we identified was that we needed a new coach so we reached out to Arsene Wenger, to Gerard Houllier, and one name kept coming to the fore: Rohr.

"Now we have no regrets about hiring him and he has proven himself not just by qualifying for the World Cup, but with the foundation he is laying for our team, which now has young players from the age of 19, [he is] doing well.''

German-born Gernot Rohr, who is also in the possession of a French passport, has signed a two-year contract extension and his wages have been paid until December 2017.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel