Rohr On Ekong's Late Arrival, Axing Two Players From Super Eagles Squad

Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr says Udinese defender William Troost-Ekong reported late for international duty due to club commitments.

The 25 players named to the provisional roster were instructed to join the team in Asaba on Sunday, June 2 ahead of their first training session the following day, but Ekong was the last player to set foot in the Delta State capital, just before the start of the workout this afternoon.

''Ekong is arriving today, he had one week more to do with his club. They couldn't release him immediately, they had friendlies to play and traveling to do, so he'll will arrive today like Ighalo arrived this morning,'' Rohr told reporters.

''They are the two last ones, we'll be 25 for this afternoon's training session.''

The German football tactician will be taking 23 players to Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations, meaning he has to axe two players by Sunday, before the team jet out to Ismailia.

''Yes, it is a difficult choice for me to take two players out of this wonderful team. Like you see in this press conference there is a good spirit here and will be the most difficult decision for me and my staff to take away two players but it is our job and we do it all the time with regret but we have to.

''Like you watched the training sessions we have done, we are lucky because it is not too hot. It will be very hot in Egypt, that's why you have to be fit.

''The rain is helping us much like yesterday afternoon we can run much more and did more training in this cold weather. 

''We have to be able to play in all the situations - hot, cold, rain.  I think we'll be ready physically but it is not only fitness, there's also discipline, organization and tactics, so in all this department we have to be ready.

''Everybody wants to go far until the end which means we have to play seven games. It should be seven if you are in the semifinal.''

Trabzonspor's Eddy Onazi, Benfica's Tyronne Ebuehi and Chelsea's Victor Moses, who all played for Nigeria at the 2018 World Cup, are the high profile absentees in the traveling party to Egypt.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel