Nigeria U20s hit by withdrawals of Chelsea product, Ipswich Town talent after training camp switch

Allnigeriasoccer.com can exclusively report with certainty that Bolton Wanderers' Dubem Eze, who learned his trade in the Chelsea youth set-up, and talented midfielder Abube Onuchukwu have both withdrawn from the Flying Eagles training camp squad following the camp relocation.

The Bolton Wanderers attacking midfielder and Ipswich Town starlet have opted to represent Nigeria at international level, rather than England's Young Lions, and were officially called up to the Flying Eagles.

The Flying Eagles trained in Nigeria's capital, Abuja before a pair of pre-Africa U20 Cup of Nations friendlies against Ivory Coast.

However, for the last phase of camping, invited players have been instructed to report to the Hillside Hotel and Suite in Katsina State on Sunday, March 9, 2025.

Eze and Onuchukwu were set to join the Flying Eagles in Ivory Coast ahead of the test matches, but a communication mix-up meant they were only notified to report to camp a few days before the first friendly against the Young Elephants.

After missing the friendlies against Ivory Coast, the Nigeria Football Federation offered them a second chance by inviting them for the final phase of camping before the 2025 U20 Afcon.

Nigeria Football Federation's Assistant Head of International Competitions, Aliyu Lawal Ibrahim opened a line of communication with Bolton Wanderers and Ipswich Town's academy chiefs over the release of Eze and Onuchukwu.

Despite the training camp not being on the FIFA calendar, the two English clubs were open to the release of the players to the Nigeria Football Federation.

Following the decision of the Nigerian Federation to move the training camp to Katsina, Eze and Onuchukwu have both pulled out of the Flying Eagles squad, citing fear of the unknown.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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