Could Liverpool's Awoniyi Be Deserving Of A Role For Super Eagles?

This 2017/2018 season has seen a significant glut of Nigerian revelations in the Belgian topflight.

From Gent's Samuel Kalu to Club Brugge's Dennis Bonaventure and Standard Liege's Uche Agbo to mention but a few, all have performed to varying degrees for their teams, but if in such a way that has wowed observers and made football fans sit up to take cognizance of a fast-rising phenomenon —look no further than the stirring case of Royal Excel Mouscron's Taiwo Awoniyi.

The Liverpool loanee has continued to impress week in week out for Royal and it is particularly his efficiency in front of goal that could serve a good deal for the Super Eagles at a time like this.

It is worth nothing that Awoniyi could realistically be turning out for the Merseyside Reds this campaign had work English permit hitches not pushed Jurgen Klopp to farm him away from Anfield to continue to horn his talents.

Belgium seemed the most productive ground for the upbringing of such prodigies as him and without any iota of doubt, Royal have surely benefited.

Before that move, less-than-stellar spells with FSV Frankfurt in Germany and with NEC Nijmegen in the Netherlands have threatened to hamper his potential but that was all to be changed though.

Aged just 20, Awoniyi has showed a high degree of both quality productivity and mental strength, thriving ingeniously irrespective of all he has had to wade through with the modest club — nine goals from 27 league games is a respectable haul for a young player having a debut season in unfamiliar grounds.

Comparisons with late Nigerian record goal poacher, Rashidi Yekini has been made and even though they could seem far fetched, Awoniyi could just be calling the attention of the national team selectors with his string of fine performances as the World Cup draws nigh; given that the struggles of the Super Eagles attack is well documented.

It makes it all the more sensible to integrate the former U20 man into the national team fold and of course, his boundless energy,lightening-quick thinking and eye for goal would hardly look out of place in Russia.

His strike in the 2-1 victory to down Kortrijk in their UEFA Europa league play-offs yesterday made it three goals in his last four games for the club and it could have been more had suspension not ruled him out of a couple of games for his side.

So, it yet begs the question thus, would this starlet who has strived to prove his mettle be deserving of a place in the World Cup bound Super Eagles?

Emmanuel Chinaza