Nigeria U17s Goalkeeper Battle Hots Up As West Ham Starlet Reports For Duty

Published: October 02, 2019

Allnigeriasoccer.com understands that former Chelsea starlet Daniel Jinadu remains in contention to be included in the Nigeria U17s squad list for the upcoming FIFA U17 World Cup in Brazil.

The West Ham youth-teamer landed in the nation's capital on Wednesday and will start training with the team soon.

The goalkeeping department was one of the problematic areas in the Golden Eaglets during the U17 AFCON and regional qualifiers, with the team conceding 13 goals in total, and Jinadu has been drafted in to bolster the squad.

Things did not seem to improve at the recently concluded UEFA ASSIST International Tournament in Turkey after the Nigeria U17s conceded five goals in three matches, with Football College's Sunday Stephen letting in four goals against Senegal in their last group game.

Jinadu has been named in a 50-player provisional squad list for the U17 World Cup and will undergo a final MRI examination in the next few days.

Three goalkeepers will make the final 21-player roster for the tournament in Brazil and Jinadu is competing with
Sunday Stephen, Suleiman Shuaibu (Hot FA) and Joseph Oluwabusola (Bournemouth) for a spot in the team.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the former England U15 and U16 goalkeeper will be on the plane to
Sao Paulo for the last phase of preparations on October 8.

Jinadu was West Ham's most impressive player in a 2-1 win against Tottenham Hotspur in the U18 Premier League Cup on Saturday, September 28.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel