England Or Nigeria? Southampton Defender Who Looks Up To Iwobi, Aina Reveals Where His International Allegiance Lies
Published: January 08, 2019When put on the spot, Southampton wonderkid Oludare Olufunwa has admitted that he would be open to playing for the Nigerian National Teams if he's invited by the Nigeria Football Federation.
The 17-year-old Southampton-born defender has been tipped for a first-team breakthrough in the not too distant future, having made his debut for the The Saints U23 squad against Stoke City four days ago.
''My father is Nigerian, my mum is English and I was born in Southampton. Yes of course I will honour the call up to the Nigeria squad if the opportunity was to come,'' Olufunwa told allnigeriasoccer.com.
''I’ve always wanted to play for the Super Eagles but also playing for England is an option for me as I’ve grown up here and wouldn’t rule it out.''
Having left the door wide open for the Nigerian Federation to make a move for his services, Olufunwa, who was recently converted from a central defender to a fullback, revealed that he looks up to Arsenal's Alex Iwobi and Chelsea-owned Ola Aina.
Asked who he models his defensive game after, the talented teenager answered : ''At the moment I’m playing right wing back which is an even newer
position for me but when playing centre back I aim to mirror Van Dijk
but in general I like the style of Yaya Toure.
''In terms of a Nigerian player at the moment I like Iwobi’s energy and also Aina who I think is a very good right back.''
Olufunwa joined Southampton in 2010 following a successful trial after he was spotted playing for a local club.
Ifeanyi Emmanuel
Latest News
- 'Fantastic couple just like in Nigerian national team' - Ex-Napoli star has his say on Osimhen v Lookman duel
- Confirmed: Premier League's youngest debutant signs professional contract with Arsenal
- Spain aiming to cap-tie Barcelona striker on the same date Super Falcons face Banyana Banyana in Pretoria
- Kevin Zeroli reaches an agreement in principle to sign new contract at AC Milan
- Super Eagles-eligible midfielder back in the treatment room at Chelsea
- 16-year-old box-to-box Nigerian midfielder trains with Arsenal first team pre-Manchester City
- Manu Garba returns to Golden Eaglets as head coach; assistant roles for Ugbade, Bala Nikyu
- Trabzonspor eye move for Nwakali's teammate as potential replacement for Southampton loanee Onuachu
- Has Finidi George done enough to be Super Eagles coach after Ghana and Mali games?
- Arsenal, Chelsea or Paris Saint-Germain: Transfer insider reveals Osimhen's likely destination
Football News 24/7
News Categories
- Football Betting
- African Players
- Australia/ Asia
- Belgian Championship
- Bundesliga
- Danish Football
- English Premier League
- Nigeria National Teams
- Nigeria Premier League
- Norwegian Football
- Polish Football
- Russian Championship
- Serie A
- Spanish Liga
- Swedish Championship
- Transfer
- Turkish Championship
- Ukrainian Football
- Uncategorized
- Women's Football