Interim Man Utd boss appointed Austria coach : Three players who chose Austria over Nigeria

The Austria Football Association on Friday confirmed the appointment of  current Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick as coach of the national team.

The German will step down from his United job this summer after the 2021-2022 Premier League season winds down albeit he will continue in a consultancy role at Old Trafford.

The Austria national team captain David Alaba will work under current Manchester United manager Rangnick and his experience will bode well as the team rebuilds for the 2024 European Championship in Germany.

The former Bayern Munich star expressed keen interest to play for Nigeria's Golden Eaglets in the past which naturally would have seen him grow with the age grade sides but wasn't considered for what was perceived as the need to concentrate on locally developed talent..

Now Nigeria have lost a gem while Austria have gained a huge talent who might even be around for the 2026 World Cup should Austria make the cut.

2. Karim Onisowo

Mainz 05 striker Karim Onisowo has won 15 caps for Austria and has scored one goal for the Austrians to his credit since he made his international bow in 2015.

His game is centered on speed and technique and still has a long years of active service to render to his national team.

3 Chukwubuike Adamu

Unheralded and unknown to most football fans in Nigeria, the 20 - year-old striker has been a phenomenal talent and has already been capped at the senior level by the Austrian national team.

The youngster who grew through the ranks from U-17 to U-19 has one cap so far for the senior national team which he earned during the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers last November.

The future is certainly bright for the player who announced himself to the the football world in the UEFA Champions League game between Red Bull Salzburg and Bayern Munich on February 16 in a 1-1 draw.

One noticeable thing in his game is that the fear factor is absent. The boy is not star struck when his team face big opposition and with many years ahead of him, Ralf Rangnick has in him a jewel in the making.