Rohr Attempted To Recruit Man City Striker To Play For Nigeria National Teams

Published: March 28, 2019

Several reports in the German media suggest that Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr attempted to recruit Manchester City-owned striker Lukas Nmecha to play for the Nigerian National Teams before his one-time change of association to Germany.

Born in Hamburg to a Nigerian father and German mom who is from Moenchengladbach, Nmecha's Nigerian dad had wanted him to represent the Super Eagles but the striker snubbed the three-time African champions in favour of his country of birth after Germany U21s coach Stefan Kuntz convinced him.

Two hours before Germany U21s faced England at the Vitality Stadium on Tuesday, FIFA approved the German Football Association's request to change associations and he went on to make his debut against his former teammates.

'' Ex-Bundesliga professional Gernot Rohr (65), since 2016 coach of the Super Eagles, wanted to recruit Nmecha for his national team.

''Too late. On Tuesday, Nmecha came on for Luka Waldschmidt (SC Freiburg) in the 59th minute and celebrated the last-minute winner of Felix Uduokhai,'' wrote Sports Bwin.

''The Wolfsburg player is also a candidate for Gernot Rohr with his Nigerian roots.''

Two other Germany U21 stars eligible for Nigeria, Jordan Torunarigha (Hertha BSC) and Emmanuel Iyoha (Erzgebirge Aue), are on the radar of Gernot Rohr ahead of the start of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

Igho Kingsley

Photo Credit : dfb.de