Pinnick Tips Super Eagles Duo Osimhen, Chukwueze To Become Africa's Next Big Thing

Nigeria Football Federation boss Amaju Pinnick believes Super Eagles youngsters Victor Osimhen and Samuel Chukwueze have the potential to become two of the best players in Africa.

Osimhen and Chukwueze played important roles as the Golden Eaglets won the 2015 FIFA U17 World Cup, a competition in which the former Wolfsburg starlet scored a tournament leading 10 goals to win the Golden Boot award while the winger took home the Bronze Ball.

Pinnick has insisted that it is only a matter of time before the two players take the African continent by storm and highlighted that they are committed at club and international level.

"If you look at Osimhen he started from U17, that was when I just newly got elected, I led them to Chile and he was the highest goalscorer in that tournament, and he started from Wolfsburg then to one other club on loan then to Lille and now to Napoli," Pinnick said to Arise TV.

"Osimhen and Chukwueze they are the next big thing to come out from the continent of Africa because these players are so passionate about the game of football and their country."

Pinnick went on to praise Osimhen for offering to pay for his trip to Nigeria due to a cancelled flight but the Nigerian Federation insisted on taking care of the travel expenses.

"Osimhen called me two days ago an airline could not carry him because of XYZ and he said clearly that do I get another ticket, we said no we are going to get the ticket for you and I'm happy that he has arrived."

Osimhen, 21, became the most expensive African-born player in history following his summer transfer to Napoli in exchange for 70 million euros while Villarreal's Chukwueze has a release clause of 100 million euros.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel