Torino's Aina Labels Ighalo A 'Baller', Hails Azpilicueta; Rates NFF Highly For Luring English-Born Players

Published: April 28, 2020

In an Instagram conversation with Baiteze TV on Tuesday, Chelsea Academy product Ola Aina had nothing but praise for Odion Ighalo, labeling the Manchester United striker a 'baller' or very talented player.

The versatile Aina narrowly missed out on the Super Eagles 2018 World Cup roster but was one of the key players for the national team at last year's Africa Cup of Nations and the highlight of his performance in Egypt was setting up the game-winning goal scored by Ighalo against Burundi.

The Torino wing-back pointed out that the 2019 AFCON top scorer has always been a good player even when he was at Watford.

"I have always backed him, this guy is a baller, look at what he was doing at Watford, he'll beat five players. Ighalo, I've rated him at a high level," said Aina.

Quizzed on the most professional player he has ever trained with, Aina replied : "I think Azpilicueta, he's a good professional".

Aina praised the Nigeria Football Federation for convincing European-born players to switch allegiance to the Super Eagles, adding that there is a good mix of homegrown and foreign-born talents in the national team.

English-born players such as Joe Aribo, Viv Solomon-Otabor and Josh Maja have earned maiden call-ups to the Super Eagles post-AFCON.

"It's good. Obviously I rate the people that work for the Nigerian Federation to get the European based players, they are working hard.

"You know our team has quality. You are seeing these players playing in Europe basically, playing in Holland, France and Germany, so you don't really have to ask questions of players like that.

"It's really nice, you can see that there's a link with obviously the English based guys but it is also good in our team that we have guys that grew up in Nigeria playing for us, it is a good mix," Aina concluded.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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