'I started with five minutes' - Nigeria captain insists young and fresh invitees shouldn't start games

Nigeria captain Ahmed Musa has sent a message to Super Eagles fans and media that they should stop clamoring for the young and fresh Super Eagles invitees to be starting games.

Rangers left-back Calvin Bassey trended for all the wrong reasons in the aftermath of Nigeria's failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup after a below-par display on his starting debut for the national team.

To drive home his point, Musa used himself as an example, saying he was often introduced off the bench in the early days of his international career.

The Super Eagles coaching staff selected six players aged 23 or younger in a 27-man squad for this month's Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, namely Francis Uzoho, Adebayo Adeleye, Calvin Bassey, Samuel Chukwueze, Victor Osimhen and Terem Moffi.

Apart from Bassey, Adeleye and Moffi are considered greenhorns when it comes to international football, though they earned invites on the back of their fine form for their respective clubs.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Musa stated : "You have to help the young players that are coming. We have the U20, we have the U23. The Super Eagles is number one in Nigeria.

"You cannot bring a young player then start him, you are killing his career. Super Eagles is not like the clubsides that the coaches give you time to come in.

"Super Eagles when you come you need time, ten minutes, five minutes. I started with five minutes, five minutes took me where I'm today.

"I know you all have a lot of players, tell them to wait for their own time. Five minutes, ten minutes is something that you can change but starting XI is not possible because it is not clubside.

"Super Eagles is Super Eagles, clubside is clubside that you have time to catch up. That is why a lot of players when they play for one or two games, it is finished and you say don't call him anymore. Encourage the young ones that are coming up in the team".

Including the recent friendlies against Mexico and Ecuador, Musa has not started the last ten games played by Super Eagles as he is behind the likes of Moses Simon, Samuel Chukwueze and Ademola Lookman in the pecking order of wingers.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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