2nd Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Shehu Dikko has distanced himself from statements credited to him in the local media that claimed that Southampton super kid Michael Obafemi absented himself from the Super Eagles get-together in London in March 2017.

The Nigerian Federation had contacted several players of Nigerian descent based in England to train with the Super Eagles after a proposed friendly against Burkina Faso was called off and this website can report with certainty that Obafemi was not among the players approached.

While Super Eagles manager Gernot Rohr ran the rule over Chelsea defender Ola Aina, ex-Arsenal striker Chuba Akpom, QPR's Ebere Eze and Boreham Wood's Femi Ilesanmi, Sunderland's Josh Maja could not travel to the English capital to train with the squad due to club commitments.

Shehu Dikko has suggested that Obafemi was handed a maiden senior call-up because the Football Association of Ireland want to cap-tie the teenage striker who has played less than 30 minutes of first-team football for The Saints.

''I am not sure if Obafemi was approached by the NFF,'' Shehu Dikko told allnigeriasoccer.com.

''He is just 18 and just got into the first team, so maybe Ireland are just rushing to lock him down.''

Born in Dublin but raised in England, Obafemi has scored one goal in four appearances for Republic of Ireland U19s.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel