Dessers not a player of interest to Eguavoen, Feyenoord striker won't replace Ighalo AFCON squad

Published: January 06, 2022

Allnigeriasoccer.com has been told that Feyenoord striker Cyriel Dessers is not a player of interest to Nigeria's caretaker manager Augustine Eguaoven for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.

Viral reports in the Nigerian media had sensationally claimed that the Racing Genk loanee would be handed a late call-up as a replacement for Odion Ighalo, who has been blocked from linking up with the Nigeria squad by his Saudi Arabian club Al-Shabab.

On three different occasions, Eguavoen was presented with opportunities to add Dessers to his squad list for the tournament in Cameroon following the withdrawals of Victor Osimhen and Emmanuel Dennis plus the injury suffered by Paul Onuachu but the former Nigeria captain did not look the way of the Belgian-born center forward.

A Nigeria Football Federation insider told this website that Dessers was not under consideration to be added to the AFCON roster whether or not Ighalo missed out on the tournament.

It is looking likely that Nigeria will have less than twenty eight players in their Africa Cup of Nations squad as the Confederation of African Football permits associations to make late changes to squads only on health grounds.

Of the 28 players named in Nigeria's final Africa Cup of Nations squad, only Taiwo Awoniyi (14) and Ighalo (12) have scored more goals than Dessers (10) so far this season.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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