Nigeria manager Gernot Rohr has namechecked three strikers in contention to receive their maiden call-ups to the Super Eagles for next month's Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Benin and Lesotho.

The German football tactician spoke glowingly about Lorient's new kid on the block Terem Moffi, who held his own in recent matches against two of the traditional teams in the French Ligue 1 Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco.

Liverpool loanee Taiwo Awoniyi has gone cold in 2021, scoring just once in eight appearances in the German Bundesliga, but remains on the radar of Rohr and his coaching staff while Almeria's Sadiq Umar is the other striker of interest..

Asked if there are surprise names in the squad list for the AFCONQ, Rohr said to News Central TV : "All the time new players try to show us their qualities. We have very good strikers now, when you look at the striker from Lorient who scored the winning goal against Paris Saint-Germain, Moffi, who scored a brace against Monaco and with a left-foot. It will be interesting to see him.

"Then we have also Awoniyi playing in Union Berlin, he's a good one. Sadiq Umar playing in Almeria, Spain - the player of the month."

Rohr pointed out that red-hot Racing Genk striker Paul Onuachu does not pull his weight when he is wearing the Super Eagles colours.

"We have Onuachu who is scoring so many goals with his club but has little problems when coming to Nigeria. We have a lot of strikers," he added.

There was talk that Odion Ighalo could be recalled to the team but the former Manchester United striker has not yet made up his mind to rescind his decision to quit international football.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel