Super Eagles Coach Rohr To Scout Afeez Aremu, Ikouwem Utin Et Al At U20 AFCON

Published: January 25, 2019

Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr will embark on a scouting trip to Republic of the Niger to watch the Flying Eagles stars at the 2019 Africa U20 Cup of Nations with a view to inviting the outstanding players to the senior national team.

Some of the eye-catching names on the Nigeria roster for the tournament are IK Start midfielder Afeez Aremu, Enyimba's Ikouwem Utin, Rosenborg wonderkid Igho Ogbu and new Sonderjyske signing Yahaya Nazifi.

Rohr has hinted that the Nigeria Professional Football League stars stand a good chance of earning call-ups to the Super Eagles for the games against Seychelles and Egypt.

''They (NPFL players) did not play for a long time so it was not easy for the players to be fit again immediately, '' Rohr said on on the sidelines of the NPFL match between MFM FC and Rangers.

''What I see in this game is interesting, I saw the results of Rangers and Lobi Stars in the African competitions. It's good now that they are playing.

''With my assistants, we are always watching, Imama is in the other game today, there is Alloy Agu also watching.

''We also have to look at the U20 team who is starting very soon the AFCON. I will be there also to watch. If there is somebody there better than the players, he will be invited.''

Having said that, the German football tactician is not planning to make drastic changes to the Super Eagles squad for the games in March.

Rohr added : ''We will invite the fittest players for the next game against Seychelles and for Egypt and the best one will play.

''We are depending on what they are doing with their clubs but we cannot forget what they did with us already.''

The Flying Eagles have been drawn against Niger, South Africa and Burundi in Group A of the U20 AFCON which begins on February 2.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel