A backroom staff member within the Super Eagles has revealed the reason Brentford loanee, Frank Onyeka, was omitted from the team tasked with executing the game between Rwanda and Zimbabwe.
Recall that Onyeka was a key member of the Super Eagles team that reached the final of the AFCON in 2023.
The source, who spoke to Torizone, said Onyeka was omitted due to tactical reasons.
Stated, “The shocking omission of Frank Onyeka, who is on loan to German side Augsburg from Brentford, was purely for tactical reasons, with Chelle keen on possession-based football. He feels the duo of Alhassan Yusuf and Papa Daniel fit the system for both games better.”
Alhassan Yusuf currently plays in the MLS.
Other key players missing from the team include Cyriel Dessers, who has 22 goals for the Scottish side Rangers. He was left out because the coach prefers a younger player, Tolu Arokodare, to be the fourth-choice striker for the team, rather than the 30-year-old Dessers, who has six caps and two goals for Nigeria.
Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye was excluded as he only recently returned from a wrist injury that had kept him out since last year, and he needs to be fully fit before rejoining the team. The same applies to Fisayo Dele-Bashiru of fellow Serie A side Lazio.
Defender Gabriel Osho was also shockingly omitted by the coach and replaced by Ogbu, largely due to Ogbu’s better abilities on the ball.
